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to shooting the pilots for the hit series The Closer, Nip/Tuck and Glee, he helmed sevenseasons of Nip/Tuck and is now in his secondseason of Glee.

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The International Journal of Motion Imaging

26 Wicked WorldAlwin Küchler, BSC renders a dark fairytale world for Hanna

42 A Woman on the VergeEd Lachman, ASC helps Todd Haynes remake the classicmelodrama Mildred Pierce

52 Optical Filtration and 3-DAn optical-effects innovator explains how filters enhance 3-D imaging

62 Sundance 2011: Spirited ImagesOur annual roundup of the festival’s eye-catching fare

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

— VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM TO ENJOY THESE WEB EXCLUSIVES —DVD Playback: The Sound of Music • All the President’s Men • You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

On Our Cover: An unusual teen (Saoirse Ronan) makes a discovery about her past inHanna, shot by Alwin Küchler, BSC. (Photo by Alex Bailey, courtesy of Focus Features.)

8 Editor’s Note10 President’s Desk12 Short Takes: “Faeries”16 Production Slate: Jane Eyre • Battle: Los Angeles78 Post Focus: Red Riding Hood82 Tricks of the Trade: Unfettering a Digital Shoot86 Filmmakers’ Forum: The Image Interchange Framework90 New Products & Services98 International Marketplace

100 Classified Ads/Ad Index102 Clubhouse News104 ASC Close-Up: Dennis Muren

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John Calhoun, Bob Fisher, Michael Goldman, Simon Gray, Jim Hemphill, David Heuring, Jay Holben, Mark Hope-Jones, Noah Kadner, Jean Oppenheimer,

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OFFICERS - 2010/2011

Michael GoiPresident

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Matthew LeonettiTreasurer

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Ron GarciaSergeant At Arms

MEMBERS OF THEBOARDJohn Bailey

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ALTERNATESFred Elmes

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American Society of Cine ma tog ra phersThe ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but

an educational, cultural and pro fes sion al or ga ni za tion. Membership is by invitation

to those who are actively en gaged as di rec tors of photography and have

dem on strated out stand ing ability. ASC membership has be come one of the highest

honors that can be bestowed upon a pro fes sional cin e ma tog ra pher — a mark

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© 2010 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Features and specifi cations are subject to change without notice. Sony, CineAlta, HDCAM-SR, XDCAM, “make.believe” and their respective logos are trademarks of Sony.

Visit sony.com/digitalcinematography for the full story.

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Bring it on.

Several years ago, a subscriber approached me to expresshis amazement at professional cinematographers’ increas-ingly frequent use of both high-end and low-end digitalcameras. Curiously, this gentleman seemed to believethese new tools for image capture spelled doom for AC.“What are you guys going to do?” he asked in the tone ofa silent-film buff who had just seen his first talking picture.

We hope our reply has been evident in ourcomprehensive coverage of projects shot with every avail-able type of digital camera. This month’s special focus ondigital production continues our assessment of thesecameras, beginning with three of the five projects coveredin our recap of this year’s Sundance Film Festival

(“Sundance 2011: Spirited Images,” page 62). Morten Søborg, DFF used Red One camerason the Oscar-winning Danish drama In a Better World; director Eric Strauss and cinematog-raphers Peter Hutchens and Ryan Hill employed a variety of Panasonic and Sony digitalcameras on the documentary The Redemption of General Butt Naked, which won the cine-matography prize in the U.S. Documentary category; and Sam McCurdy, BSC mixed Red Oneswith an Arri 435 on The Devil’s Double. The other Sundance entries we cover, Pariah (shot byBradford Young, who earned the Excellence in Cinematography Award in the U.S. Dramaticcategory) and Meek’s Cutoff (shot in the rarely employed 1.33:1 aspect ratio by ChristopherBlauvelt), were both captured on 35mm. (We plan to cover other intriguing Sundance selec-tions as they are theatrically released throughout the year.)

Meanwhile, in the television realm, ASC member Alan Caso has been working withdigital-imaging technician Ethan Phillips to apply a “filmic” approach to their work on theseries The Defenders, which Caso shoots with Sony and Canon cameras. Their strategies for“untethering” the shoot are outlined in Tricks of the Trade (page 82).

In emulating the look of 1970s cinema for the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (“AWoman on the Verge,” page 42), Ed Lachman, ASC and director Todd Haynes opted to buckthe trend by shooting on Super 16mm. Lachman maintains, “Today’s film stock is so goodthat shooting Super 16 and then going through a digital intermediate almost mimics the wayfilmed looked 20 or 30 years ago, because it has a little more grain structure. But the reasonI really wanted to shoot film was for the exposure latitude, which I still feel is greater on filmthan on any digital format, and for the color rendition.”

The striking images in the thriller Hanna, shot by Alwin Küchler, BSC (“WickedWorld,” page 26) also serve as a reminder of film's virtues.

The revival of 3-D filmmaking has prompted us to begin covering more specificareas of interest to cinematographers working in the format. “Optical Filtration and 3-D”(page 52) offers insights from Ira Tiffen, former vice president of research and developmentfor The Tiffen Co., who earned a 1992 Academy Technical Achievement Award for produc-tion of the Ultra Contrast Filter Series and wrote the chapter on filtration for the AmericanCinematographer Manual.

Stephen PizzelloExecutive Editor

Editor’s Note

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As editor of the upcoming 10th edition of the American Cinematographer Manual, I foundmyself looking at recent technological changes in the industry with a new perspective. Certainly,the tools we cinematographers use to create our art have always been in a constant state ofevolution, but the last five years seemed to spawn more attempts to reinvent the wheel thanmany decades prior.

For example, when I started the process of deciding what the AC Manual would containin terms of new information, digital intermediates were still something cinematographers had tofight for because producers were balking at the extra cost. Now, if you try to bypass a DI and doa direct print, you are more likely to catch flak from producers who are convinced that the onlyway to get the film to look right is to do a DI.

I want the new manual to have more digital information within its pages to reflect ourreaders’ growing interest in emerging technologies. This is not to suggest that tried-and-truemethods and materials are no longer relevant, but, rather, to make the industry aware of devicesand workflows that are currently being used on professional productions. Also, because many ofthese devices were developed from a prosumer approach to end use rather than a professionalapproach, adjustments had to be made for use in the professional workflow. In the case of somedigital cameras, this has led to the old “Frankenstein” syndrome, wherein a small camera has tobe retrofitted with an army of wires, metal arms, junction boxes and lens adapters in order to be

used effectively because it wasn’t designed to be used on a professional set. The curious thing about the current rush to adopt new methods of image capture and workflow is that this chaos of experi-

mentation has been condoned by entities eager to save money in a difficult economy. In the past, suggesting that a film be treatedwith a new processing formula, like bleach bypass, was met with great wariness lest the result not be deemed of sufficient profes-sional quality to pass stringent distribution expectations. Now, if you say you’d like to shoot on some new camera that records on toiletpaper for $10 a day, you are looked upon as a maverick who is saving the industry from oblivion.

There are six questions I ask myself when I embark on using any new technology in my work. These questions are especiallysignificant if you work as an independent filmmaker whose work is not governed by studio preservation policies.

If I capture my images on this camera, do I have any assurance that the images will not be accidentally erased or deleted?Are the captured images a true reflection of what I intended them to be, should I not be around to supervise an output of

those images at a later date?Does this camera actually make my job of filming this particular project easier, or is it making it harder and more expensive?If I am filming in a remote area and my camera breaks down, will I be able to fix it with my multi-tool knife, or will production

have to shut down?Who is going to be responsible for making sure that all the metadata accumulated during production and post is properly

logged and stored?What is going to be the archival element for this project?Innovation is valuable if it’s actually an improvement over what has come before. Reinventing the wheel is great, but make sure

you have truly created a better wheel before you throw away the old one. And don’t forget to keep your eyes on the prize.

Michael Goi, ASCPresident

President’s Desk

10 April 2011 American Cinematographer

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Shooting “Faeries” in 3-DBy Iain Stasukevich

Even after 20 years of experience as a commercial cine-matographer, Christopher Soos, CSC admits that he still has a fewthings to learn. While shooting three television and theatrical spotsfor the French company Bouygues Telecom, Soos and director BakerSmith took an on-the-job crash course in stereoscopic filmmaking.

The spots, co-produced by Harvest Films and Wanda Produc-tions, illustrate the fantasies of Bouygues employees. “This is howheroic I felt when I helped my customer with her lost cell phone,”says one employee, after we see a gallant rescue diver fish a water-logged damsel from the ocean. In another spot, an irate grizzlythrows a tantrum, conveying an employee’s anger after thecompany’s virility is called into question.

Both “Rescue” and “Bear” were shot and directed by Soosand Smith in 2-D on 35mm film. The third spot, “Faeries,” was a 3-D production and thus required a very different approach.

“Faeries” whimsically suggests that the morning routine of awood nymph resembles that of the average worker: wake up,shower, dress, eat breakfast with your dog and then head to work— only “work” is flitting about the forest sprinkling faerie dust oneverything.

Smith asked French 3-D company Binocle to handle thestereoscopics and “had them talk to me like I was a second grader,”he recalls. “I’m not a cameraman, and I will always look to the cine-matographer for those skills, but I still want to understand what’shappening.” Next, he approached Paris visual-effects company Buf,whose artists translated his storyboards into a detailed CGI animatic,complete with specific lenses and camera moves and a scale modelof the set.

Another thing that set “Faeries” apart from the other twospots was that it was scheduled to play before major theatrical 3-Dreleases. With this in mind, Soos approached the commercial asthough it were a feature, spending almost a week of intense cameraprep at Binocle and Panavision Paris with 1st AC Alex Leglise and2nd AC Raphael Douge. “In a theatrical environment, your 3-Dspecs become exponentially more important in terms of alignment,sharpness, composition and depth-of-field,” Soos notes.

Stereoscopic technician Jean-Marie Boulet assisted Soos’team with selecting identical pairs of Primo prime lenses, a task thatproved more difficult than simply matching focal lengths. “If wewanted two Cooke 12mm lenses, we needed to choose betweenmaybe five or six to find two that were almost perfectly the same,”Boulet explains. Binocle’s Brigger line of motion-controlled 3-D rigs iscapable of handling zoom lenses, “which might seem like it’s easierbecause you don’t have to change the lenses, but you still have tomeet exactly the same focal lengths, and with zooms, a perfectmatch is even more difficult.”

Soos shot “Faeries” with two Panavision Genesis camerasusing Binocle’s Brigger III rig in the over-under mirrored configura-tion. “[The Genesis] is a wonderful camera for 3-D — very stable andvery heavy,” says Boulet. “Because we are working pixel to pixel, wedon’t want the camera to be loose.”

Boulet’s stereoscopic department doubled the size of Soos’camera department, and although they were two separate teams,they strove to operate as a single unit. As the convergence puller,Boulet assisted Leglise with changing the lenses by removing thefragile and expensive mirror from the 3-D rig so the 1st AC couldaccess the camera. Once the lenses were replaced, Boulet reinstalledthe mirror and recalibrated the two cameras. Over at the monitoringstation, 3-D vision director Alexander Sill checked an anaglyphic

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A wood nymph’smorning routine

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“Faeries,” shot by Christopher

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version of the stereo image to make surethe cameras were properly aligned, whilestereographer Thomas Villepoux supervisedthe proper execution of the 3-D effect.

“The 3-D effect is more pronouncedon a big screen, so you have to be aware ofthat and do things more subtly whenthey’re in-camera,” Soos remarks. “In thesame way your DIT monitors the digital 2-Dimage for technical issues, a member of the3-D team can halt the progress of a shot ifthere are technical problems with the 3-D.”

“The big question is, ‘When will yoube ready?’” Boulet says with a laugh. “Theanswer was usually, ‘Almost.’ It does take alittle more time than usual not only for thetechnical part, but also for the artistic part.After the cinematographer and the directordecide the shot, then the 3-D guy can do hisjob, checking the alignment and depth, andthat doesn’t take long. After a couple ofshots, everyone gets used to the rhythm.”

Smith appreciates the extra attentionto detail, particularly with the final 3-Dimage immediately available on set. “It washelpful to see what worked and whatdidn’t, that things coming from screen leftor right can be more jarring than things

rising or dropping into frame,” he says.So the filmmakers not only had to

get acclimated to a new set of tools, theyalso needed to adjust to a different cine-matic language, which Soos wryly summa-rizes as follows: “If you move the cameraaround a lot in 3-D, you’re going to makepeople barf.” Cropping actors on the left-hand and right-hand sides of the framebecame an issue. “When you’re doing over-the-shoulder shots, you have to think aboutgoing wider and more static. You composedifferently. You also have to take lightinginto consideration. Do you meet the light-level requirements to render sharp layersand sell the illusion of depth?”

Soos notes that the depth-of-fieldrequirements in 3-D are the opposite of 2-D, “where you want an optical depth-of-field that creates the illusion of real depth, apainterly 3-D effect.” In stereoscopic 3-D, adeep-focus image allows the audience tobetter perceive the additional layers ofdimension.

When it came to lighting, the mostimportant lesson Soos learned about 3-Dhad to do with contrast. “If things in thebackground are too contrasty, the way the

parallax of your lenses displaces the imagerycan cause two contrasty superimposedimages to create the illusion of misalign-ment,” he observes. “Hard lighting is alsosomething you have to be really carefulabout. In lighting for 3-D, I’ve found that it’ssmart to consider using soft, directionalsources.”

Soos’ ISO was fixed at 200, but heneeded an effective T-stop of 5.6 to achievehis desired depth-of-field. His gaffer obligedby pumping a huge amount of light into therock-cave set, a partial build that wassurrounded by a 360-degree greenscreen.“It felt more like classic studio lighting, withat least 36 space lights overhead, 10Ks and20Ks replacing 1Ks and 2Ks, and 12K and18K HMIs bouncing in 5,500°K fill,” thecinematographer recalls. “It was a lot oflight, a lot of work and a considerableinvestment for everyone.”

“It’s always difficult for the 3-D crewto become part of a 2-D crew that’s used toworking together,” Boulet muses. “Weunderstand that they don’t always knowhow to react to us, and we don’t alwaysknow how to react to them. I’ve found thatsome 2-D crews are afraid of working withpeople who are going to advise them onhow to do their jobs.”

But Soos, Smith and Boulet ulti-mately found that they were speaking thesame language. “It was a question ofphilosophy, habit and how we see cinema:Do we see cinema in the same way?” saysBoulet.

Soos relished the opportunity toexpand his visual vocabulary. “If a picture isworth a thousand words, in 3-D the effectis exponential,” he says. ●

Soos (in photoat right,wearing

sunglasses)notes that

deep-focusimages allow

viewers tobetter perceivethe 3-D effect.

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A Jane Eyre for TodayBy Rachael K. Bosley

Adapting Charlotte Brontë’s literary classic Jane Eyre mightseem an unlikely choice for the director-cinematographer team behindSin Nombre, the illegal-immigrant drama that won a cinematographyprize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival (AC April ’09), but for thecinematographer, Adriano Goldman, ABC, that was part of theappeal. More significant, however, was the chance to reunite withdirector Cary Joji Fukunaga. “Since we shot Sin Nombre, Cary and Ihave become very good friends, and I like to think that this is a sort ofpartnership, something we can develop,” says Goldman. “I like him, Itrust him, and I really believe he’s an artist.”

AC recently spoke to Goldman by phone about his work onJane Eyre. What follows are excerpts from the conversation.

American Cinematographer : Jane Eyre is required read-ing in many American high schools. Is it treated that way inBrazil? Were you familiar with the novel?

Adriano Goldman, ABC: No, I wasn’t. I was aware that it’sconsidered a classic, but it’s not at all part of my culture. That was partof the challenge. Cary and I read a few chapters together, and we alsowatched some of the well-known adaptations, like the Franco Zeffirelli

version [1996], the Robert Stevenson one with Orson Welles [1943]and the BBC miniseries [2006, directed by Susanna White], mostly tounderstand what we didn’t want to do.

And what was that?Goldman: Well, we wanted to make a period film with a

contemporary look or approach, something that would feel fresh. Idon’t want to say ‘modern’ because that word is a little dangerous,but Jane Eyre [played by Mia Wasikowska] is very ahead of her time.She’s a modern girl for that moment in terms of the way she behaves,the way she treats men and the way she sees her future. Cary alsowanted to do a darker version of the story than previous filmmakershad done. He wanted to emphasize the mysteries of Rochester’s life,the secret in the attic, and the strange loneliness Jane experiences inThornfield. The [final] cut has changed the movie a lot, as alwayshappens, but I think the Gothic aspects of the story were somethingCary really wanted to explore.

How did the desire for a contemporary feel translateinto some of your choices?

Goldman: We wanted lighting that would look realistic. Thehouses of that time were really dark, even during the day, because itwas very expensive to have fires lit all day and all night. So for dayscenes in Thornfield, we wanted it to feel like all the light was coming

Production Slate

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The Englishmist sets in as

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runs an errandin a scenefrom Jane

Eyre, shot byAdriano

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www.theasc.com April 2011 17

from the windows. I used a lot more HMIsthan I typically use because the windows atHaddon Hall [the location for Thornfield]were so large. We used 18Ks and 12Kswarmed slightly with 1⁄8 or 1⁄4 CTO, andattached very thick diffusion — silk andsometimes cotton, too — directly to thewindows to soften the light. Also, there are alot of night interiors lit only with a fireplaceand candlelight, including the scene whenJane arrives at Thornfield and meets Mrs.Fairfax [Judi Dench], and the scene thatshows the first real conversation betweenJane and Rochester [Michael Fassbender].The two of them sit close to the fireplace, andthat plus some candelabra on the wall in thebackground are lighting the scene. To add alittle sparkle to the actors’ eyes for close-ups,we had a Chinese lantern with a dimmed-down 150-watt or 275-watt bulb and asingle flame bar helping us here and there,but no reflectors. Every chance we had to cutreflectors, we did, especially for night interi-ors. We wanted the look to be believable.

You must have had a great firstassistant.

Goldman: We had a fantastic Englishcrew, and the first AC, Julian Bucknall, is areal warrior. We were using [T1.3] Arri MasterPrimes, and we decided early on that shoot-ing wide open would make our lives veryhard, so I tried to maintain a stop of at leastT2, which is difficult when you’re just usingfirelight. I tried to give Julian a little more stopon day interiors, maybe T2.8, but that wasreally rare. A shallow depth-of-field gave usan extra texture that we all really loved, espe-cially on night interiors, but it’s very hard toshoot that way. The limit is so fine; in theclose-ups of Jane in her fireside talk withRochester, for instance, the depth-of-field isso shallow that her eyes are in focus but hernose is slightly out of focus. You have toexplain to the actors what you’re after sothey can help you. It was the total opposite ofSin Nombre, where we gave the actors fullfreedom, partly because they were totallyinexperienced. Jane Eyre is more designed,and the action was carefully choreographed.The actors had very specific marks.

Another departure from SinNombre is that you didn’t do all of thecamera operating this time.

Goldman: I operated for the first halfof the shoot, but then we brought in a B-

Top: Rochester (Michael Fassbender), Jane’s new employer, draws her into a conversation.Middle: Jane dines with her young pupil (Romy Settbon Moore) and Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench).

Bottom: Large HMIs through heavy diffusion attached to windows comprised the typicallighting setup for the main location.


camera/Steadicam operator, Vince McGa-hon, for a few days. He was really good,and the producers asked me if I wanted himto stay on to take over the A camera. I’mtrying to learn how to use operators. I’musually very jealous of my framing, but inthis case having Vince helped a lot becauseI could work more closely with Cary. Some-times it’s really hard to do both [operatingand lighting]. I really like doing camera-work, but I need to find new collaborators.It was a wise decision.

Some filmmakers are reluctantto use a Steadicam on period films.What made you decide it was appro-priate on Jane Eyre?

Goldman: Cary always said hewanted smooth moves and long takes; hedidn’t want this to be a ‘cutty’ film. Weused the Steadicam in what we called ‘dollymode.’ It doesn’t dance with the actors; itmoves in a straight line. The moves are veryclassic, and they could easily be dolly shots.

You used Super 35 to great effecton Sin Nombre. Did you discuss shoot-ing this movie widescreen?

Goldman: Cary actually wanted toshoot Jane Eyre in 1.33:1 because he envi-sioned it in a totally square frame, but wecouldn’t do that or 1.66:1 [because it wouldhave complicated distribution], so wedecided 1.85:1 was our best option. Wetried to find frames within the frame orplace objects in the foreground to sort ofsquare off the 1.85, make it less horizontal.

There’s a striking shot in thescene that shows young Jane [AmeliaClarkson] arriving at the orphanage —the camera moves behind her to showthe other girls, shooting directly at thewindows.

Goldman: We thought the flash-backs were a chance to try somethingdifferent because they should feel like amemory; they’re moments when realismcan be put aside. Cary and I both love lensflares, and every time I have a chance toshow him one, I do. We pursued them onSin Nombre, shooting against the sun toadd something a little magical to what wasa very realistic story. And on Jane Eyre, weviewed flares as a chance to ‘dirty’ theimage a bit, make it look a little morecontemporary. Cary suggested placing areflector or a light in frame in the flashbackscenes to get that effect. One of the greatthings about Cary is that he’s also a cine-matographer, so he’s always trying to findsomething [visual] that will give the audi-ence a different feel. We heightened thecontrast in the flashbacks a bit in the digitalgrade [at Lip Sync Post].

Coming from Brazil to shoot onlocation in England for the first time,did you take any special steps in prepto study the light you’d be workingwith?

Goldman: We had a very generousprep, seven weeks for an eight-week shoot,but we prepped in winter and startedshooting at the beginning of spring, and atthe end of winter, the light in Englandchanges completely. So I couldn’t rely toomuch on my prep in terms of studying thelight. Cloudy days were our dream; wewanted the image to feel soft on the screen,with muted colors and dark-green grassand foliage. We had the most perfect daysduring prep, of course, but when we startedshooting, the sun started to show up. Wehad a lot of cloudy days, but they were verybright. I shot the whole movie on Fuji 400

[8583], rating it at [ISO] 400, and for dayexteriors we often had double layers ofND.9 on the lens to bring the stop back toT8 or T4. The most significant work we didin the DI was probably bringing the greensdown in day exteriors to match the othercolors in terms of saturation.

Which aspect of doing a periodfilm like this was the most challenging?

Goldman: It took Cary and me alittle while to understand that on periodmovies, with all the hair and makeup andcostumes, you shoot much less. We did 25to 30 setups a day on Sin Nombre, shootinghandheld with two cameras. When westarted prepping Jane Eyre, our first AD, LeeGrumett, cautioned us that we wouldn’t beable to maintain that pace on this filmbecause we’d have to wait for so manyother people, and that proved to be true.Mia is in 95 percent of the scenes, so whenshe needed to change, we often had towait because there was nothing else toshoot. We did 14 or 15 setups a day. Wehad to learn how to use the time we hadwith the actors very, very wisely because bythe time they came in, we might have justan hour to shoot a scene. It was a reallygood lesson for both of us. But that’smoviemaking: every single project teachesyou something. I love it!

TECHNICAL SPECS

1.85:135mmArricam LiteArri Master Prime; Angenieux Optimo 24-290mmFuji Eterna 400 8583Digital Intermediate

Near right:Rochester and

Jane pledge theirdevotion to each

other. Far right:Goldman checksthe light as the

crew preps adolly shot.

➣


logical conclusion. AC recently sat downwith Ettlin to discuss his work on thepicture.

American Cinematographer:Lukas, a number of years ago you wonthe ASC Heritage Award for a studentfilm you made with Jonathan. How hasyour working relationship evolvedsince then?

Lukas Ettlin: Jonathan and I met onour first day at New York University andbecame friends and collaborators instantly,and Battle: Los Angeles is our third featuretogether [after Texas Chainsaw Massacre:The Beginning and The Killing Room]. Hehas an uncanny ability to tell a story in avisually engaging way, which has always

elevated my work. When you start makingstudio movies at a young age, you reallyneed to trust your instincts and work harderthan anyone else. We’re very similar thatway.

This movie has a lot of handheldwork. What’s behind that choice?

Ettlin: To me, handheld doesn’tnecessarily mean shoulder-mounted. Weused slings, rickshaws, Pogo Cams, andeven put the camera on a bag for long-lensshots. Some of our crane work was hand-held on a Chapman Titan crane. Theperspective is always with the soldiers. Ourreferences for this were The Hurt Locker [ACJuly ’09], Black Hawk Down [AC June ’02]and, of course, Saving Private Ryan [ACAug. ’98]. But Jonathan likes to be influ-enced by various sources, so we also lookedat Neil Blomkamp and Rupert Sanders’ Halocommercials [AC Dec. ’09], 9/11 footageand computer games.

Was it difficult to pass Louisianaoff as Los Angeles?

Ettlin: Jonathan wanted to set themovie in a part of L.A. that’s more industrial,and we used back alleys instead of recog-nizable streets. We tried to stay away fromlandmarks, which are usually the staple ofdisaster movies. Shreveport and BatonRouge gave us a lot of great options. Plus,we have a stunning aerial scene in the

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In the early hours of Feb. 25, 1942,air-raid sirens were sounded throughout LosAngeles County, and a blackout wasordered. At 3:16 a.m., the 37th CoastArtillery Brigade began firing anti-aircraftshells into the air over Santa Monica. Mili-tary officials reported they were firing atenemy planes and “a balloon carrying a redflare.” Whatever happened, the officialreports vary just as wildly as civilianaccounts. One theory is that it was an alieninvasion, and the new film Battle: Los Ange-les, directed by Jonathan Liebesman andshot by Lukas Ettlin, takes that theory to its

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beginning where marine helicopters arrive inwar-torn Santa Monica, and all those plateswere shot in L.A.

How much of the damage that thealiens do to the city was practical, andhow much was CGI?

Ettlin: All the explosions and debrisshowers were real, but a lot of the bulletimpacts were added in post. There were a lotof CG set extensions. We often used green-screens on actual locations to seamlessly blendin the CG, but Jonathan likes to use as manyreal elements as possible. My goal was alwaysto give him the most flexibility. One scene in abus contains elements shot with available lightwhile the bus was moving, artificially lit blue-screen stage work, and bluescreen shotsoutside with a mix of artificial and naturallight. We decided to use daylight stock insidethe stage to help match the exterior footage.Using HMIs in the stage was more cumber-some, but it paid off. We mounted platformsoutside one of the buses where we could havecameras travel the whole length of the buswhile it was moving. The range of ideal expo-sures would vary up to 4 stops in a single shot,depending on whether an actor came right upto the window or crouched in the center. I’doften split the T-stops between the darkestand brightest areas, knowing that [KodakVision3 250D] 5207 could handle it, and thatI could brighten or darken it in the digital inter-mediate. ➣

Left , top to bottom: A-camera operator LukaszBielan captures a shot from a rickshaw rig with

the help of focus puller Jimmy Jenson(background, holding remote-focus controller);a practical explosion ignites a freeway set with

greenscreen extensions; technical sergeantElena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez) stands tall

amid her fallen comrades. Above:Cinematographer Lukas Ettlin (right) finds anangle with B-camera operator B.J. McDonnell.

about this film is that it’s so colorful.The bleak events aren’t rendered witha bleak image.

Ettlin: Jonathan was adamant thatwe go for a realistic look. He didn’t want toexcessively desaturate the image or go forthe popular cyan-and-orange look. Thatmeant the images had to pop as is, withoutthe color-timing tools that have bailed meout before! Luckily, we had a controlledcolor palette, and the constant use of dustand smoke helped us keep the saturationup without getting garish. For the nightscenes inside the choppers and lightarmored vehicles, we came up with strongmilitary colors that were inspired by nightvision, infrared and utility lights. I love doinga monochromatic look with one strongcolor, like primary red. It looks a bit dirty andpops at the same time. For night exteriors,we couldn’t rely on city lights because in thestory, most of the power is out. I askedproduction designer Peter Wenham toincorporate Wacker work lights, which runon generators and seem like something themilitary might bring in for that kind of situ-

Where did you shoot the sceneset in the back alleys of Venice Beach?

Ettlin: That was our biggest set. Weneeded a whole block of back alleys thatwas fogged in, so we had to shoot it insideto control the smoke. The set was built rightup against the stage walls, and some actiontook place just 20 feet from there! Key gripKurt Grossi and rigging key grip Kevin Erbsurrounded the stage with white fabric and

teasers, which we had to hide by backlight-ing the smoke to sell the notion of infinitefog. Our gaffer, Dan Cornwall, suggestedwe use automated LRX lights on motorizedtracks, and that proved to be a lifesaver. Incombination with fixed Dinos and about200 overhead 6K space lights, we were ableto match the exterior footage that leadsright into it.

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ation. We wired them to cut out the flickerand precut ND gels to help control them,and we placed them strategically to gethard pockets of light. I love the mercury-vapor color they naturally emit, and beingable to photograph them freely gave us alot of opportunities for flares.

Did you use a lot of trick lighting?

Ettlin: Dan Cornwall set up thesemobile units consisting of Nine-light Maxi-Brutes with a Gam Flame flicker gag thatwe could quickly place wherever they wereneeded. That became our hero light when-ever the power was out, along with thewonderful burning set pieces that DavidPoole and our visual-effects team gave us.Dan also built a dimmable JEM ball on astick; we used it all the time, and it wasespecially handy in the water tunnels.Because we were always shooting 360degrees, placing fill light was impossible.The tunnels were also filled with what wecalled alien buoys, which were rigged to belit from within by LED light ribbons. Oursecond-unit cinematographer, Bruce

McCleary, really helped out with the R&Don a lot of these specialty fixtures. Weadapted pipes that were mounted on thewalls to house gelled Kinos. You couldrotate the pipe to expose the lights or hidethem from view. We used Paparazzi strobesto enhance the gunfire effect.

It looks like you mixed in somedigital video with 35mm.

Ettlin: We mixed in a Sony PMW-EX3 [uprezzed with a Flash XDR fromConvergent Design] so we’d have acompact run-and-gun camera, but for themost part, we shot Super 35mm. Our herolens was the Panavision 19-90mm [PCZPrimo Compact] zoom. For a lightweightzoom, it has an amazing range and looksbeautiful. Jonathan loves long-lens hand-held shots, so Lukasz Bielan, our A-cameraoperator, would often handhold an 11:1[24-275mm] Primo as well. Very few oper-ators can pull that off, and the moviewouldn’t look as dynamic if we didn’t havethat kind of range. Luckily, we also hadJimmy Jensen and Peter Roome, maybetwo of the best focus pullers in the busi-

ness, to keep it sharp for us. B-camera oper-ator B.J. McDonnell was a master atrunning with our Lightweight [LWZ] 85-200mm lens and got some amazing hand-held tracking shots. My longtime collabora-tor, Brown Cooper, would then get all thegreat C-camera angles, shooting throughobjects and squeezing under cars.

Where did you do the digitalintermediate?

Ettlin: Sony Colorworks, where wewere fortunate to get Steve Bowen as ourcolorist. Many scenes were pieced togetherfrom shots acquired all over the schedule,and Steve integrated them all seamlessly.

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A fearless teen travels a treacherouspath in the dark fairytale Hanna,

shot by Alwin Küchler, BSC.

By Ted Elrick

•|•

WickedWorldWickedWorld

Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is fluent in numerous languages andproficient with guns, bow-and-arrow and hand-to-handcombat. She has been trained by her father, Erik (EricBana), a former CIA operative, to survive in a cruel world

seemingly bent on killing her. And she is only 16.If that sounds like an unexpected turn for director Joe

Wright, the filmmaker behind The Soloist (AC May ’09),Atonement (AC Dec. ’07) and Pride and Prejudice, it is. Thenagain, Hanna is filled with unexpected turns. According to thefilm’s cinematographer, Alwin Küchler, BSC, the goal was totreat this unusual coming-of-age story “like a fairytale, but withthe darkness of the classic Grimm fairytales, which warn youabout what might lie ahead when you venture out into the world.


“Fairytale illustrations are mostlydone in primary colors, and we workedwith that idea, but we also wantedthings to change as Hanna’s journeyprogresses and her view of the worldshifts from naive to nuanced, fromblack-and-white to gray,” continuesKüchler. “This was supported by SarahGreenwood, the production designer, interms of colors and location choices, andby Lucie Bates, the costume designer.”

Küchler, whose credits includeDanny Boyle’s Sunshine (AC Aug. ’07),Michael Winterbottom’s Code 46 (ACSept. ’04) and Lynne Ramsay’s MorvernCallar (AC Sept. ’02), was collaboratingwith Wright for the first time, and hisprep for Hanna included a two-weekperiod that Wright devoted exclusivelyto working with him on the visual plan.“At a certain point in prep, Joe likes tolock himself away [with his cinematog-rapher] to thoroughly discuss eachscene,” he says. “It was like being in filmschool in the sense that we were dream-ing up sequences before we had toconfront practical issues like time andmoney. We were feeding each otherideas, discussing what each scene shouldfeel like and how we could achieve it.We shot video, with Joe acting out manyof the parts. What’s really great aboutthis process is that it makes the cine-matographer very much a part of theU

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Opposite: Hanna(Saoirse Ronan)finds herself in atight spot afterescaping from aCIA facility. Thispage: The film’sopening sceneswere shot inKuusamo, Finland,whichcinematographerAlwin Küchler, BSCdescribes as“beautiful, rawand dramatic.” Keygrip AdrianMcCarthy broughton some local gripsand some locallysourced gear toachieve some ofthe camera movesin the deep snowand frigid temps.


director’s creative process. It also saved alot of time on set, because we were bothvery clear about what we needed toprotect in order to make a scene work.”

The story is presented mainlyfrom Hanna’s point of view, and theSteadicam “was an important tool forthis,” says Küchler. “We are always glid-ing behind or alongside her.” Theproduction ultimately employed threeveteran Steadicam operators on the Acamera: Jörg Widmer (The New World),who covered most of the shoot; PeterRobertson (Atonement), who covered aweek when Widmer was unavailable;and Tilman Büttner (Russian Ark), whostepped in after Widmer was injured onthe job.

The production covered so muchground — locations included sites inFinland, Morocco and Germany —that Küchler worked with two gaffers,Christoph Nickel and Reuben Garrett.“The film has many big set pieces inlocations that were sometimes quite farfrom each other,” says the cinematogra-pher. “Christoph was our main gaffer,and Reuben was the gaffer in Moroccoand also helped us pre-light some of theother locations alongside rigging gafferJanosch Voss. We exchanged a lot ofdigital photos over the Internet to planthe lighting.”

Arri in Berlin supplied most ofthe production’s camera package, anArricam Studio and Lite, an Arri 235, afull set of Cooke S4 prime lenses and anAngenieux Optimo 24-290mm zoomlens. (The filmmakers also used severalSony PMW-350 and HXR-MC1Pdigital cameras for select shots.)

Arri Media in London suppliedKüchler with two other lenses, an f/0.9550mm Leica Noctilux and a custom-built 25mm Zeiss prime lens that hadits front element reversed. “TheNoctilux is the most beautiful lens Ihave ever used, and I wish there were awhole set of lenses made from the sameglass,” says the cinematographer. “Itdoes magic to flesh tones. We used it forHanna’s flashback of her mother[played by Vicki Kreips], a scene weshot in the absolute last light of day. It

◗ Wicked World

Above: The filmmakers

prep some day-for-night

work at Hannaand Erik’s

cottage, built onlocation in

Bavaria. Right:When the CIA

learns of Erik’slocation, its

agents launch anight raid — the

first bit ofartificial light

shown in the film.


was so dark I didn’t even bother to takea light reading, but I felt optimistic thatsomething beautiful would come of itbecause of the Noctilux. Vicki wasstanding at a frozen lake, and we lit herwith an LED ring light that wedimmed down during the shot. She justfades into the background like a distantmemory.”

Some of the opening shots inFinland were captured with the customZeiss. “The focus falls off dramaticallytoward the edges of the frame, which ismeant to evoke the mystical quality of afairytale land,” explains Küchler.

Hanna opens in the frozenNorth, where Hanna and Erik havebeen living an isolated, frontier-likeexistence, hiding out from the CIA.Determined to keep his daughter safefrom Marissa (Cate Blanchett), thecareer CIA agent who murdered thegirl’s mother, Erik has trained Hanna tobe the perfect soldier. Increasingly rest-less to see the world, the teen decides it’stime to set out on her own. It’s only amatter of time before Marissa and theCIA give chase.

“The scenes in Finland are meantto represent something like paradise —life is simple and nature rules,” saysKüchler. “All the colors are natural, and

Top: Following her capture, Hanna is closely monitored at an undisclosed CIA location. Middle:Director Joe Wright (seated) plans a shot in the set with Steadicam operator Jörg Widmer (left)and 1st AD Guy Heeley. Bottom: Küchler (foreground) works out a shot of Cate Blanchett that

will be cut into Hanna’s interrogation scene.

“We loved the idea of this

fairytale cottage in the forest

suddenly overwhelmed by

noise and searchlights.”


films, especially when the locations areso beautiful, raw and dramatic,” saysKüchler. “In our location, the ice bendsthe tops of the trees over so they looklike lollipops or a Tim Burton-stylelandscape.”

The temperatures made it a chal-lenge to achieve some of the fluid,mobile camerawork Wright andKüchler had in mind. “My key grip,Adrian McCarthy, had a very difficult

job,” says the cinematographer. “It wasso cold that when the camera was ontracks, the rubber wheels would freezeto the tracks within 20 seconds, soAdrian had to keep the dolly constantlymoving.

“For one particular shot, we putVicki [Kreips] in a stand of trees andcircled around her,” he continues.“Adrian put in a circular track, but thesnow was about 4 feet deep, and he hadto push the dolly around and around. Igot carried away looking through thelens, and I kept saying, ‘Faster! Faster!’After a little while, he was going slowerand slower, and I said, ‘What’s wrong?’I looked back and saw this pantingfigure. It was the first time he evercursed at me!” That shot ultimatelyended up on the cutting-room floor. “IfI really like the shot, it’s going to end upon the cutting-room floor — that’s therule,” Küchler notes wryly.

The production used a locallysourced grip package and “some excel-lent local grips” in Finland, saysMcCarthy. The cranes included a GF-8and a 30' Technocrane adapted for usein extremely cold temperatures, rightdown to a base equipped with skis.

all the light sources are natural or quitesimple, like homemade candles andkerosene lamps. The windows of Hannaand Erik’s cottage are covered with fur,not glass. The palette is soft, naturaltones, with browns, blues and grays.”

Principal photography beganwith these scenes, which were filmedover two weeks in Kuusamo, Finland,where temperatures could reach -35°C(-31°F). “I like physically challenging

◗ Wicked World

Right: This frame grab

showssurveillance-

camera views ofHanna’s surprise

attack on her captors.

Below: In anotherframe grab, Hanna

finds her way to a tunnel that

runs beneath theCIA complex.

➣

“Based on my experience filming inextreme environments, I fought hard tobring a Libra remote head with us,” saysMcCarthy. “As ever, it proved durableand kept working in the cold, evenrigged on the back of a Skidoo beingused as a fast tracking platform. Muchto my surprise, we were able to leave theTechno outside overnight. Despite theextreme cold, there’s no moisture, so thecrane never froze, a problem we oftenencounter in the damp British winters.”

The nature of the snow createdproblems with building the dollytracks, however. “The snow is so crys-talline it never compacts,” McCarthysays. “We had to use Skidoos tocompact the snow and then let it freezeagain or, more usually, employ theFinnish track-laying technique: lay outplywood sub-frames and then have ateam of large Finnish grips jump upand down on them till they settle!”

Hanna and Erik’s cottage was apractical set built in Bavaria byGreenwood and her crew. The interiorof the cottage is first shown when thecamera follows Hanna inside and then

up to her loft bedroom in a longSteadicam shot. The sequence takesplace at dusk. “Every take took aboutfour minutes to shoot, so by the timewe were resetting, the light leveloutside was dropping drastically,”recalls Küchler. “At the beginning, we

did a little f-stop pull, opening upwhen we entered the cottage. There aremoments [in the shot] where Hanna isclosing doors and shutters, and we’djust switch off more and more tubes inthe Kino Flos we had augmenting thelight.”

Left: Greenscreenand a partial setbuild were usedfor filmingHanna’s entranceinto the tunnel.Below: Thefilmmakersprepare to shootthe practicalportion of thesequence in afunctioning windtunnel inGermany. “It wasinteresting towork with anEnglish andAmerican crew inthere,” Küchlerobserves,“because that’swhere the ThirdReich tested thewings of Stukafighter planes.”


Throughout the shot, Hannacarries a kerosene lamp that was createdby Nickel. “The actual wick wasreplaced by two thinner ones, andbetween the wicks we attached a socketfor a 12-volt bulb,” explains the gaffer.“In the bottom of the lamp, we had todesign a new kerosene tank to allow forthe remote-control receiver, a dimmerand a 12-volt battery.” The crew builtthree of these lamps in order to avoidwaiting between takes for batteryreplacement or wick adjustment duringa long scene.

To create soft “no-light” fill for360-degree Steadicam shots in thecabin, Nickel’s crew taped tungsten-balanced LED rope lights on 4'x4' polyscovered with silk and mounted underthe ceiling. The two fireplaces were litwith gas and augmented by 1' and 3'flame bars with E14 or E27 frostedbulbs. Movie Intercom’s LFX Hub gavethe gaslight a natural-looking flicker.

The modern world intrudes onErik and Hanna’s safe haven when theCIA launches a night raid on thecottage, complete with a helicopter.“That’s the first time we see artificiallight,” notes Küchler. “Joe and I lovedthe idea of this fairytale cottage in the

forest suddenly overwhelmed by noiseand searchlights. Our keylights weretwo SX-16 Night Suns, 1,600-wattXenons used for military and rescuework, that were mounted to the heli-copter.”

To create soft ambient light inthe wooded, snow-covered location,Küchler’s crew set a 210' Condor about500' from the cottage and a 150'Condor about 250' from the cottageand placed three ArriMax 18Ksthrough 8'x20' frames of Light Grid on

each. “We did a test/pre-light with oneCondor and found we needed a bit ofdirect ‘spill’ from the 18Ks for the upperpart of the trees, while the main part ofthe light had to be softened by theframes,” explains Nickel. “My guys wereable to move the frames up or down,depending on the shot, using a systemof ropes.

“For the backgrounds, thespecial-effects team surrounded thecabin with a huge ring of fog tubes, andwe backlit the fog with 6K HMIshidden behind little hills or placed inholes we dug,” he continues. “For shotsthat didn’t include the helicopters, wealso floated three 4.8K HMI balloonlights for ambience. The overall effectlooks amazing.”

The filmmakers had just fivehours to shoot the raid, and Küchleradded Sony HXR-MC1P cameras tothe mix to simulate night-vision footageand maximize coverage options. (Three35mm cameras were also used on thescene.) The digital material was latergraded to resemble night-vision footageby colorist Paul Ensby at TechnicolorLondon.

Once the CIA captures Hanna,she is taken to a facility in Morocco and


◗ Wicked World

In this framegrab, Hanna

emerges fromthe tunnel andfinds herself in

the Moroccandesert, whereshe falls into

step with twoyoung English

tourists.

“We wanted things to change as

Hanna’s view of the world shifts from naive to

nuanced.”

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interrogated by her captors in a roomequipped with video cameras. The livefeed is monitored by agents in thecontrol room and by Marissa, who isobserving from CIA headquarters inLangley, Va. In the walls of the interro-gation room, the filmmakers positionedseven Sony PMW-350s to capturedifferent perspectives of Hanna and herquestioners. “The whole scene feels likean alien abduction,” says Küchler, “and,in fact, the room we used for the shotsof Marissa looks a bit like a spaceship.This is the polar opposite of whatHanna has experienced in the first 15years of her life. She’s trapped in a tinyspace and studied like a medical experi-ment. All the lighting is artificial, thecameras are static, and we introduce agrainy, digital look.”

To underscore Hanna’s feelings ofalienation, Küchler had his crew mountfour practicals — 24-watt Osram U-tube Dulux 840s — on the wall at abouthead height “so we always had a lightflaring into the lens,” he says. All ofthese were on a dimmer. For keylight, a24K Dino gelled with ½ CTB and ¼Plus Green and going through 3⁄4 Grid

filmmakers used a functional windtunnel for these scenes, and becausethey were forbidden from drilling holesin the concrete walls, they created anemergency-light effect by placing 30-40Martin Atomic 3Ks in housingsdesigned by the art department andcontrolling the fixtures through adimmer board. For a particular shot inthis sequence, Ronan ran on a treadmillin the tunnel while the Arri Lite on adolly with a rollover rig captured theaction.

Hanna emerges from the tunnelto find herself in the Moroccan desert,where she falls into step with a youngEnglish tourist, Sophie ( JessicaBarden), and her family. Upon arrivingin the nearest town, Hanna is bedazzledby the modern world, embodied by thesmall hotel where she secures a room.She is fascinated by the electric lightsand appliances, and frightened by thesmall television set. For this scene,which was shot on location, Küchlerintroduced a green spike in the film’spalette to suggest the modern industri-alized world. “We wanted to sharplycontrast the artificial light with the light

was rigged overhead, and a 7'-wide ringwas hung below it. “We used pulleys tomove the ring up and down to separatethe walls and eventually keep themdarker,” says Nickel.

“I liked the idea of the keylightcoming from an unnatural angle andcreating deep shadows around theactors’ eyes,” adds Küchler.

In a surprise move, Hanna over-takes her captors and escapes, eventuallyfinding her way to a long tunnel thatruns beneath the CIA complex. The

◗ Wicked World

“What helped keepme going were all

the interestingchallenges Joethrew my way.”

Left: Küchler eyeballs a location in Morocco. Above: Enchanted by her mysterious new chum, Sophie (Jessica Barden) offers Hanna a friendship bracelet.

Hanna knows, and we used an Osram840 as a practical in the room,” he says.“We gelled some of the fluorescentsources around it, [Lowel] Rifa lightsand a Barger Baglite, with Lee 247Minus Green, 212 LCT Yellow and653 Lo Sodium, and timed some of thegreen out.”

Hanna and her Englishcompanions are followed by three ofMarissa’s henchmen, led by Isaacs(Tom Hollander), and at one point,Hanna engages the villains in a chasethrough a parking lot full of massiveshipping containers. The Hamburgcontainer park where the scene wasshot was approximately the length oftwo American football fields, and thepiles of containers reached up to 50'high. Wright wanted to film most ofthe action in a single Steadicam shot.(A 50' SuperTechno and stabilizedScorpio head captured additionalshots.)

“The camera was sometimes just2 or 3 feet from the actor, and we had tokeep the actors in backlight at all timesin order to prevent the camera fromthrowing a shadow over them,” Küchlersays. “Peter Robertson handled thisshot, and we had to carefully work outthe blocking with our stunt coordinator,Jeff Imada [The Bourne Ultimatum].There are people crossing in and out offrame as we run through all thesealleys.”

Garrett handled the pre-light ofthe location while Küchler and Nickelwere working nearby in the HamburgHarbor. “Two nights before we were toshoot in the container park, Joe Wright,Jeff Imada and I shot a rehearsal on filmusing a 27mm lens, and then we gavethat tape to Reuben so he’d knowexactly where the actors would be inrelation to the camera,” recalls Küchler.

“We tried to create areas of lightand dark to add depth to an ‘all-in-one’Steadicam shot that turns around onitself,” explains Garrett. “It was a chal-lenge to keep the hard backlight frombecoming frontal keylight, but wemanaged to accomplish that except forone occasion, when we wanted to use

the frontal light for dramatic effect —Sophie has followed Hanna into thepark and is shocked to witness herfighting ability. The frontal lightcompletely reveals Sophie’s innocenceas she sees something dark and aggres-sive.”

Six Condors, two holding six 12-light Maxi-Brutes lamped with CP61(for the hard backlight) and four hold-ing two Arri T12 Max Movers, were

strategically placed around the actors’path. “In our pre-light, we observed thedifferent colors caused by the lightreflecting off the containers, giving agloomy half-light,” says Garrett. “Togive contrast to the hard-backlit areas,we played this bounce light andaugmented it by bouncing 5Ks gelledwith CTB and CTO — the colors ofthe containers are predominantly blue,orange and light red. For the long shots,


we built a sequence of light levels withthe dimmer board and simply cuedthem as the shot progressed. Also help-ing were some silver reflector boards,which we used to bounce in ambientlight and give minimal exposure on skintones, just to pick them out.”

“We were shooting at f2 all thetime because I have a great focus puller,Ollie Tellett, who would fall asleep atnight if the job weren’t challengingenough,” Küchler adds wryly.

Careful planning and rehearsalwere also essential for anotherSteadicam shot, also captured byRobertson, that follows Erik out of abus station, down an escalator and intoa subway station, where he turns toconfront the agent who is followinghim. Three more agents join in thehand-to-hand combat. The teamrehearsed for half a day and then filmedfive complete takes. “The wholesequence was very difficult, and weneeded a world-class Steadicam opera-tor as well as a world-class focus puller,”Küchler says. “I had to run out afterevery take to check the light levelsbecause they were constantly changing.Every take I’d have to tell my secondAC, Won-Suk Park, the stop; we wereopening from f5.6 to f2 in the tunnel.

“It was very difficult to hide anylights because the Steadicam wasrevealing so much,” Küchler continues.His crew augmented the existing fluo-rescents in the underground space withungelled Osram 840s, and then hid 2'2-bank and 4-bank Kino Flos (holding840s) where they could. Additionally,they were able to utilize existing holesin the ceiling to position two ArriLoCaster LEDs. 4Ks were bounced offthe orange-tile walls “to create nicereflections in the tunnel,” says Nickel.At the entrance to the underground,18Ks through 8'x8' Full Grid were setup to provide soft daylight.

Though Hanna features a lot ofintense action, there are memorablequiet moments as well. In one of them,Hanna and Sophie exchange confi-dences while hiding under a blanket intheir tent. Küchler and Wright decided

◗ Wicked World

Top (from left): A-camera gripTom Witt, key

grip AdrianMcCarthy, Heeley,

Steadicamoperator Peter

Robertson and A-camera 1st AC

Oliver Tellettprep a long

Steadicam movethat will track

Erik (Eric Bana) ashe steps off a bus

in Berlin andwalks down into

a subway station,where he

confronts severalassailants. Middleand bottom: The

team executesthe shot.

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◗ Wicked World

on the coverage, a mix of close-ups andextreme close-ups, after the directorand actresses rehearsed the scene. “Weused the Arricam ST, which is a veryquiet camera, and it was literally overthe girls’ shoulders, under the blanketwith them,” the cinematographerrecalls. “Joe operated this shot himselfso he could whisper instructions to theactors. To give us maximum flexibilityin that very small space, we suspendedthe camera from a dolly with bungeecords and put a blanket over it. SarahGreenwood put Velcro sections in the

tent so we could remove some sectionsto push the tongue of the dollythrough. Bungee cords are a veryuseful tool when you don’t want a shotto be too static or wobbly. We shot theclose-ups with a 50mm and 75mmand used a 100mm for the macroshots.

“It was lit very simply — oneSurefire flashlight hung outside theblanket,” he adds. “We wanted thescene to feel very intimate.”

At the end of the film, Marissacloses in on Hanna in an abandoned

amusement park, which includes aBrothers Grimm cottage and anarrow-gauge railroad. The filmmak-ers chose the long-abandonedSpreepark in Berlin as their location.Greenwood’s team built the cottage,and the filmmakers made the most ofthe railroad track, which originallyserved as part of a rollercoaster ride.With best boy grip Klaus Witt and A-camera company grip Tom Witt,McCarthy constructed a dolly to fitthe track, and it worked so well thatWright and Küchler increased the

Top: Hanna’splan to

rendezvouswith her father

takes her to aBrothers

Grimm-stylecottage

inhabited byKnepfler(Martin

Wuttke).Bottom right:

Hanna exploresthe surreal site.

Bottom left:Küchler checks

his light in the set.

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number of shots along it, incorporat-ing a GF-Jib and a stabilized Scorpiohead. “Some handheld shots were alsomade from the jib,” notes McCarthy.

When Hanna first enters theGrimm cottage, it is to rendezvouswith her father’s friend, Knepfler(Martin Wuttke). Later, she returns tothe cottage to hide from Marissa.“When Hanna goes into the cottagefor the first time, it had to be magicaland filled with sun,” says Küchler.“Unfortunately, it wasn’t sunny at allon the day we shot that scene, so wehad to create our own sun.” Two 18KHMIs on 50' Condors and severalsmaller HMIs were placed outside thewindows; for some shots, these wereused directly, and for others they werefronted by 4'x4', 8'x8' or 12'x12'frames of varying levels of Grid Cloth,according to Nickel.

For interior lighting, Küchlerknew he would have to use sources in-frame because the ceiling was only 7'-

◗ Wicked World

McCarthy (at jib arm), Tellett (kneeling next to him) and a team of grips capture a shot ofRonan on a narrow-gauge rail track for the film’s final chase.

40

8' high. To create clusters of coloredlight, Nickel’s team wrapped a varietyof gels — 002 Rose Pink, 024 Scarlet,048 Rose Purple, 075 Evening Blue,090 Dark Yellow Green and 153 PaleSalmon — around 25-watt, 40-wattand 60-watt bulbs and screwed theminto small chandeliers created by theart department. To bolster that light, a100-watt or 150-watt frosted bulbwrapped in the same colored gel washidden behind every practical.Additionally, the crew replaced twosections of the back wall withunbleached muslin and bounced 4Ksgelled with 111 Dark Pink through itfrom outside, creating a soft, coloredfill. Kino Flos, Rifa lights and BargerBaglites were used for close-up work.“Alwin and Joe wanted the Grimmcottage to feel like a fairytale but withsomething evil lurking in the back-ground, and it does,” says Nickel. “Youcan feel daylight entering but notreaching the corners of the room, and

with a bit of haze, the overall feel is alittle frightening.”

Surveying his work on Hannatwo months before its release, Küchlerobserves, “I would have to say that thiswas physically one of the hardestshoots I’ve done. One of the unsungheroes of the film was our first AD,Guy Heeley, whose scheduling wasalways very well thought through.And [2nd-unit director/cinematogra-pher] Martin Kenzie did a lot of big,beautiful shots that always matchedour work perfectly.

“I think everybody had to give aspecial something to get this moviemade. What helped keep me goingwere all the interesting challenges Joethrew my way.” ●

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The first time cinematographer Ed Lachman, ASC,worked with director Todd Haynes was on Far FromHeaven (AC Dec. ’02), which paid homage to the classicmelodramas of Douglas Sirk. Although the film was shot

on location, Lachman’s task was to make it look as if it hadbeen shot on a studio backlot. The duo’s latest collaboration,HBO’s five-part miniseries Mildred Pierce, required Lachmanto do the exact opposite: shoot on a soundstage but create thefeel of a real location.

Most people are familiar with Mildred Pierce not fromJames M. Cain’s 1941 novel, but from the 1945 film adapta-tion starring Joan Crawford as a hard-working, middle-classmother whose blind devotion to her selfish daughter leads totragedy. The Hollywood version departed from the book intwo key respects: it unfolded in flashback and it added amurder.

For the HBO project, which stars Kate Winslet as thetitular character, “we didn’t try to remake the 1945 film,”stresses Lachman. “Our source material was the book. Thereis no murder, and the story is told chronologically. In ourversion, Mildred is a middle-class single mother during theDepression struggling to find her own independence person-ally and financially, which seems to mirror our own times. Shebecomes a sexually liberated woman who does not feelconstrained by society’s rules, but faces her own tragic lovestory with her daughter.”

Mildred Pierce charts not only the protagonist’s struggleand eventual success as a self-made businesswoman, but alsoher futile attempts to win the approval of her emotionallydistant daughter, Veda (played as a child by Morgan Turnerand as an adult by Evan Rachel Wood). Some critics haveinterpreted Cain’s novel as a satirical commentary on middle-

Ed Lachman, ASCreteams with directorTodd Haynes on the

HBO miniseriesMildred Pierce.

By Jean Oppenheimer

•|•

A Womanon the

Verge


class values. Though issues of status andclass motivate the characters in the HBOversion, “our production is also a psycho-logical character study, a tragic story ofunrequited love in which the object ofMildred’s obsession isn’t a man but herhaughty, ungrateful daughter,” saysLachman.

The two primary visual referenceswere the revisionist genre films of the1970s, especially the period dramasChinatown and The Godfather, and thework of American photographer SaulLeiter. “Todd didn’t want the artifice offilm noir,” says Lachman, referring to themoody style that director Michael Curtizand cinematographer Ernest Haller,ASC, brought to the 1945 movie. “Hewanted a more naturalistic look: longerlenses, motivated light and [restrainedcamera movement].”

“The films of the ’70s had asophistication about them that I thinkhad a lot to do with their visual restraint,”says Haynes. “They pulled back a bitfrom the action and just observed it.Ph

otos

by

And

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Opposite: In Mildred Pierce, cinematographer Ed Lachman, ASC frequently photographs the maincharacter (Kate Winslet) through objects — in this case, a revolving door — to convey her emotional

states. This page, top: Production designer Mark Friedberg and his crew transformed a hair salon into adiner. Bottom: Lachman adjusts his angle on a period car.

➣


“Another element that struck mein those films was the claustrophobia offamily relations,” he continues. “In ourmovie, Veda is always going throughMildred’s closet and drawers. I wantedthe sense of somebody watchingMildred, but I didn’t want to make itliteral.”

Lachman accomplished this byshooting through windows and offreflective surfaces, and by framingMildred in doorways or through shelvesand objects to create distance betweenthe character and the camera — and, byextension, the viewer. Various types ofglass serve as another visual motif,allowing the filmmakers to create differ-ent effects that convey the script’ssubtext. This approach was stronglyinfluenced by Leiter’s photography,which features layered compositions,and whose human subjects are oftenobscured by abstract reflections orpartially seen through objects. “Leiter’simages are not only a representational

◗ A Woman on the Verge

Top: Mildred finds her daughter, Veda (Morgan Turner), difficult to please. Bottom: Mildred develops her business acumen.


view of the world but also a psycholog-ical one,” says Lachman.

Thus, shooting through or offstorefront windows, revolving glassdoors, a passing bus or a picture framebecame a way to suggest Mildred’semotional state. “We’re showing some-thing of her interior world through herexterior world, things that Mildred maynot even see in herself as she strugglesto find her emotional footing,” saysLachman. “The [distortion] created bythe glass suggests her fragmented worldand her sense of dislocation.”

The opening scene of the firstepisode offers a prime example of thisstrategy. As Mildred makes a pie, all wesee are her hands kneading the dough.The camera, which remains at her waistlevel, is positioned behind her andslightly to the left, shooting through aninterior French door. “It was a door tothe kitchen, and we opened it at anangle and shot through it,” saysLachman. “We made sure the panes of

Space lights provide general ambience for scenes in Mildred’s restaurant, a set built onstage at Steiner Studios.

glass had the type of prism glass thatproduces multiple images.”

Remaining at waist level, thecamera tracks slightly, followingMildred as she moves back and forthbetween the table and the oven. Becauseof the French door’s angle, she suddenly

appears through the glass as two sepa-rate but identical images working sideby side. The use of a long lens makes theappearance of the two Mildreds espe-cially striking.

The interior of the house was acontinuous set constructed on a sound-

stage at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn.The same set was later opened up andredressed as Mildred’s first restaurant.Although the story is set in Glendale,Calif., the miniseries was shot in andaround Manhattan. “The productiondesigner, Mark Friedberg, did a masterful job,” declares Lachman, whohad previously worked with Friedbergon both Far From Heaven and Haynes’follow-up film, I’m Not There (AC Nov.’07). “All of the glass was built into the set; we never brought something into create an illusion, nor did we evermove walls. We treated the set as a reallocation.”

Two Arri 416s, operated by CraigHaagensen and Gerard Sava, werealmost always in play, shooting differentangles or additional coverage from thesame angle. Occasionally, a third camera(manned by Charles Libin) was used.Haynes and Lachman both wanted toshoot film, and Super 16mm proved tobe the best solution. Lachman explains,“Today’s film stock is so good thatshooting Super 16 and then going



An older Veda(Evan Rachel

Wood)embraces her

inner divaonstage and

during anelegant recital.



through a digital intermediate almostmimics the way film looked 20 or 30years ago, because it has a little moregrain structure. But the reason I reallywanted to shoot film was for the expo-sure latitude, which I still feel is greateron film than any digital format, and forthe color rendition.”

Noting that the film’s colorpalette comprises secondary colors —muted yellows, greens and maroons —

Lachman observes, “Color temperaturesare different on film and digital formats,and colors definitely render differently.Furthermore, digital chips are daylight-balanced, and I don’t care if someonetells me you can change it to 3,200°K,because it still affects the color tempera-ture when you are shooting.”

He used three Kodak stocks onMildred Pierce: Vision3 500T 7219 and250D 7207 and Vision2 50D 7201.

(The negative was processed atTechnicolor New York.) He opted for35mm lenses. “I wanted the feel of thecoverage that 35mm lenses provide,” hesays. The camera package, from ArriCSC, comprised two sets of Cooke S4s(ranging from 14mm to 150mm), twoArri Master Zooms (16.5-110mm) anda Cooke Varotal Prime Zoom (10-30mm). “Many cinematographers findthe Arri zoom heavy and cumbersome,but I was really happy with it because ofthe lack of focus breathing,” Lachmanreports. “We stayed away from thewider-angle lenses because Toddwanted that 1970s look, which seemedto favor the medium range. We prettymuch stayed between 32mm and75mm.”

Another characteristic of Amer-ican films of the 1970s is that cameramovement is often motivated solely bythe actors. In a similar vein, “Todddidn’t want the camera to be indepen-dent of the actors or their movements,”Lachman says. “It was [the opposite] ofSirk, who liked the camera to have itsown methodology and move indepen-dently from the character in order tocreate a state of mind or a world for thecharacter. By comparison, Seventiesmovies had a much more restrictivecamera, due to the use of static camerapositions or because the camera wasmotivated primarily by the actors’movements. Consequently, the camerastyle was much more formal.”

Lachman laughs as he recalls thefirst day of production. “Todd said,‘We’re not going to dolly in this film.The camera will always be on a tripod.’Of course, the first shot we did was atracking shot of Mildred walking intothe restaurant, seen through a glass piecase. And we tracked or adjusted withthe dolly for the rest of the film!” Theonly handheld scene in the picture isused to show a humiliated Mildredstorming out of a mansion where sheinterviews for a job as a servant.(Steadicam was never employed.)

Lachman’s lighting was alwaysmotivated, usually by windows andpractical lamps. In general, he prefers to

Lachman’s lighting in the show is always motivated, usually by windows or practical sources.

light spaces rather than the individualswithin the spaces. “Why does lightalways have to hit a person’s face?” hemuses aloud. “Why can’t it hit a wall ora floor or a table? That’s the way real lifeis.”

Day interiors on the set were litprimarily with simulated sunshinethrough windows. “I let the windowsblow out more than I normally would tohelp create a feeling of naturalism, and Iplayed with the color temperature as ifwe were on an actual location.”

His longtime gaffer, John DeBlau, suggested using a relatively newlamp called a T-Par. “It’s very similar toan HMI Par, except it’s tungsten,”explains De Blau, who has been atLachman’s side for 25 years. “It’s anextremely hard light. Basically, you’reduplicating the sun on a stage, using atungsten environment. It’s 12,000 wattsand has a clear glass in front of it. Youcan apply lenses, but we didn’t on thisproject.”

The T-Pars were set up 15'-25'beyond the set windows, dependingupon the scene being filmed. 4'x4' heatshields proved essential, and a frame of¼ CTO was set up 1' in front of them. When Lachman wanted a softerdaylight look, he swapped out the T-Pars for 12-light Maxi-Brutes or ArriT12s, adding ¼ CTO and diffusing thelamps with 12'x12' frames of LightGrid. To illuminate Mildred’s livingroom, a set dominated by a large picturewindow with curtains, De Blau set upboth a T-Par and a Maxi to crosslightthe room; the softer light of the Maxiserved as the ambient source.

To provide an all-encompassingambient light for the exterior of thehouse on the set, a large rig was erectedover what would have been the frontlawn of Mildred’s house. The rigconsisted of a 20'x60' Quarter GridCloth and a dozen chicken coops gelledwith 1⁄2 CTB; when the set wasredressed, this rig illuminated the frontof the restaurant.

A kitchen set offered twowindows, one over the sink and one bythe breakfast table. Beyond these, the

crew erected a lighting truss from whichArri T12s could be hung from chainmotors. A second truss was set up nextto the first to carry four 1,000-wattchicken coops, each of which was gelledon the bottom with 1⁄2 CTB and 250diffusion. Lachman notes, “Many timeswe would shoot from outside the houseinto the house through the kitchen

window, and you’d see reflections of thefront yard and the studio driveway inthe glass.”

The same technique was used atother locations as well. In the firstepisode, a disheartened Mildred walksinto a diner and is seated at a table nextto a window. The camera gazes at herfrom outside, and the activity on the

busy street is reflected in the glass. Night interiors in Mildred’s

house were lit with a combination ofpractical lamps, ceiling-mountedfixtures and HMIs positioned outsidethe windows and gelled with 1⁄2 CTO.“Instead of using tungsten and addingblue, we made it daylight and addedhalf-daylight,” recalls De Blau. “Wesprinkled tungsten lights in the back-ground to suggest streetlamps.”

One day, after a bitter argumentwith Veda, Mildred storms out of thehouse and gets into her car in the drive-way. She sits there, fuming. “We seeMildred approaching the car throughthe back window on the driver’s side,”Lachman explains. “As she sits down inthe front passenger seat, the cameraslowly starts to dolly left until it reachesthe front windshield and [reveals moreof her face]. She is clearly upset. Again,though, she is obscured by reflections —this time leaves and tree branches.”Realizing that he has just contradicted


50

Lachman(background,

second from left)and director

Todd Haynes(third from left)

are flanked by1st assistant EricSwanek (far left)

and cameraoperator Craig

Haagensen.

his earlier claim that the camera nevermoves independently of the actors,Lachman pauses and smiles. “Well, nowI’m being inconsistent, because in thatone case, the camera isn’t motivated.” Itwas a rare exception to the rule,however.

Several scenes take place inMildred’s bedroom, where 4'x8' sheetsof foamcore lined the perimeter of theroom and served as bounce for 2KFresnels and Blondes on a pipe gridoverhead. These fixtures were gelledwith 1⁄4 CTO, and all of the lights wereon dimmers. “Ed tends to gel almost allthe lights,” says De Blau, who adds witha laugh, “I told him, ‘Maybe one ofthese days you’ll put the color on thelens so I don’t have to gel all of thelights!’”

Several of the interior walls in thehouse were removed to facilitate thelarge dining area of Mildred’s firstrestaurant. Lachman planned to use baylights in this space, but they proved too

soft. Instead, he substituted small spacelights skirted by black Duvetyn.

A number of scenes were shot atactual locations, including the dinerwhere Mildred takes a job as a waitress.The building was actually a hair salon,but Friedberg and his crew transformedit. Outside the storefront were HMIsgelled with 1⁄2 CTO and diffused with12'x12' Light Grid. Some of the lighthit the interior’s back wall directly.There was 10' of empty space above theroom’s ceiling, and the filmmakers tookfull advantage of it, raising the ceiling,building higher walls and rigging 2Kopen-faced Blondes that bounced intothe ceiling. Large, white tungstenglobes served as practical ceiling lights.

Because the production was onsuch a tight schedule, Lachman askedTechnicolor colorist Sam Daley tohandle both the dailies and the finaltiming. “I thought it would make thecompletion process easier because hewould know the material, and it did,”

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says the cinematographer. “Sam wasgreat. Todd doesn’t like to manipulatethe image too much in the final colorcorrection; he’d rather have it built intothe negative when we shoot. So themain things Sam and I did were tomaintain the color palette and preservethe richness of the shadow detail.” ●

51

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Idevoted 35 years to creating optical filters for every kind ofeffect: bluer skies, smoother skin tones, highlight flares,contrast and color control. Today, I am intrigued by the newroles I see for filters in stereo 3-D imaging.

The need for filters and for understanding how theywork has never seemed more important than with thedramatic growth in 3-D filmmaking. It’s ironic that flat opti-cal components literally add the extra dimension to 3-D.Many of these new applications are quite innovative. My goalwith this article isn’t to provide an all-inclusive list of applica-tions or companies figuring prominently in this field; there arefar too many. Instead, I’ve selected examples that highlightmany fascinating ways in which filters are indispensable to 3-D production.

It helps to understand what 3-D is. It’s the next step up

from traditional two-dimensional (2-D) imaging, emulatingthe volume and depth perception of the real world. It is differ-ent from volumetric imaging like holography. In a hologram,you can look around something to see what is behind it.Though parallax — the change in the apparent position of anobject as it changes position relative to the observer — makesan important contribution to 3-D, its scale is more limited.With 3-D we persuade our eyes to converge on visible objectsas if they had physical mass and position in space, when theyreally only exist as light emanating from the two-dimensionalsurface of a television or theater screen.

We have learned to recognize that as our eyes anglemore toward each other (converge) when looking at an object,we are getting closer to it. This principle is behind the sense ofdepth 3-D imparts. When we look at something far away, our

An expert explains howoptical filtration canenhance stereoscopic

imaging.

By Ira Tiffen

•|•

Optical Filtration

and3-D


eyes are aligned in parallel; when some-thing is close enough, we can go practi-cally cross-eyed. Our brain has theability to sense that an object viewed ata certain convergence angle is a certaindistance away. 3-D is about creating this“illusion” of depth in ways that addenjoyment to the motion-imagingexperience.

With 2-D images, like paintings,we discern what would be the relativedepths of objects in them if they existedin the real world. Visual cues such as oneobject blocking portions of another, andone object appearing larger thananother of similar design, suggest thatthe larger, unobstructed object is nearer.We use these and other cues regularly inphotos and movies, satisfying ourselvesthat what we see in 2-D can adequatelyrepresent the scene in the real world, butminus the third dimension.

Anyone who has donned paper-framed 3-D glasses is familiar with thebasic concept behind how filters sepa-rate left-eye and right-eye views. The“anaglyph” process typically usescomplementary color filter pairs, mean-ing colors on opposite sides of the tradi-tional color wheel — for example, redand cyan, which form gray or blackwhen combined. Light transmittedthrough one filter won’t pass throughthe other. The darker the result, the lesscross-talk there will be. Called “ghost-ing,” this is when one eye sees a vestigeof what the other eye sees, diminishingsome of the illusion of depth. The left-eye view is presented through one suchfilter; the right-eye through its comple-ment. Superimposing each view overthe other without the aid of eyeglasses,the image looks fuzzy, with color fring-ing. Seen through glasses, each eye seesonly what it should; the image clarifies,taking on the illusion of depth.

The color pairs mentioned abovework best for black-and-white imaging,where there is no concern for subtletiesof color in the combined image. Withsome tweaking, they also find use infull-color imaging.

Gene Dolgoff, CEO of 3-DVision in Westbury, N.Y., and an inven-

tor with a long history of pioneeringwork in 3-D techniques (includingholography), uses what he calls the“FullColor 3-D” color pair of green andpurple. His view is that these colorshave a more even balance of light trans-mission, producing brighter, more vividcolor than red/cyan. He maintains thatthey also reduce ghosting from the

red/green/blue primary colors of televi-sion.

Liquid-crystal-display shutterglasses are able to alternately transmitand then block vision through the twoeyeglass lenses, in electronic synchro-nization with the appropriate displayedview for each eye. Because the sync mustbe actively maintained between theIm

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Opposite: AnElement TechnicaQuasar rig withside-by-sidecameras is usedto shoot theWorld Cup. This page, top:Red One camerasmounted on a 21st Century3D BX-3beamsplitter rig.Below: Thisdiagram of abeamsplitter rig reveals thepaths of directand reflectedimage-forminglight and the key areas ofdifficulty inmatching botheye views.


◗ Optical Filtration and 3-D

projector or display and the glasses, thisis called an “active” system.

Linear polarizers have long beenpopular for separating stereo viewsbecause they can isolate a certain vibra-tory direction of light to the exclusion ofothers. Thus, light passing through avertically oriented polarizer will not passthrough a horizontally oriented one. Aslong as the projected image of the rightand left views are oriented the same asthe right and left eyeglass lenses, respec-tively, the 3-D illusion will remainintact. Theatrical projection can beaccomplished by superimposing bothimages on the screen. Because theglasses will allow only the proper view toeach eye without actively being in syncwith the projector, this is called a“passive” system.

Variations of the above methodscan improve certain image characteris-tics. For instance, if you are tilting yourhead sideways to gulp popcorn whileusing linearly polarized glasses, you willbegin to lose the sense of depth.Circular polarizers solve that by effec-tively “corkscrewing” the polarizationaxis so that it can function in all direc-tions. The drawback is slightly lowerpolarization efficiency, which can add atouch of “ghosting.”

RealD is a key supplier of 3-Dsystems that make use of either activeshutter LCD or polarized optics thatbest suit the application. There is notjust one technology for all situations.

Theatrical screens, like thosemade by Stewart and Harkness, tradi-tionally have been coated with thefamiliar white surface. Several 3-Dsystems can make use of these, but thoseusing polarization require a differentreflective surface, one that retains thepolarization properties. For thispurpose, special silvery screens coatedwith reflective materials such as finealuminum flakes provide higher gain (agreater percentage of the illuminatinglight is reflected and at a more focusedviewing angle). The additional bright-ness is a welcome assist when light isalready being lost to filtration in theoptical system.

The use of polarizers on theprojector will reduce screen brightness,but the polarizers in the eyewearcompensates for some of this loss. Youmight think these would reduce bright-ness even further, but by absorbingmuch of the generally unpolarizedambient light from within the theater,the eyewear polarizers actually transmita relatively higher percentage of the

axis-matched light from the screen. Theresult is a brighter reflected image fromthe screen, compared to the darkertheater interior.

New efforts utilize interferencecoatings to break the spectrum intosmaller segments, with fascinatingresults. Dolby, known for its soundsystems, uses interference filters to spliteach of the red, green and blue bandsinto two distinct sections. A differentband for each color is included for eacheye view, providing full-color imaging;the two sets do not overlap, therebyeliminating ghosting. Dolby has madefurther improvements. One example:interference coatings on flat surfaceschange light transmission and visualcolor as the viewing angle changes. Intypical eyeglass lenses, this means that asyou look anywhere but straight throughthe lens, this effect can create enough ofa color mismatch to disrupt the sense ofdepth. Instead, Dolby has created“shaped” spherical lenses, which keepthe viewing angle consistent regardlessof where you’re looking.

A while back, Panavision devel-oped a breakthrough in the use of inter-ference filters by fitting them inside thecamera lens, where they can see onlycollimated light, thus eliminating the

Left: Element Technica’s Neutron rig. The beamsplitter configuration allows narrow and overlapping interaxial distances not possible in a true side-by-side arrangement. Above: This diagram illustrates the mounting

position of the quarter-wave retarder at the front of the BX-3 mirror box.


viewing-angle issue. Now, working withOmega Optical, Panavision has intro-duced a 3-D theater system, using filtertechnology that breaks the spectruminto 10 bands of light, another approachto obtain more vibrant color.

There are yet other twists on theabove techniques, but let’s now seewhat’s involved with actually makingthe images in the first place.

The most basic capture methodfor producing 3-D is to use two camerasside-by-side, emulating the positions ofhuman eyes. There is a whole sciencebuilt around this concept — on how wesee depth, and how that can be manipu-lated by adjusting the distance betweenthe lenses (the “interaxial distance”) andtheir angle of convergence — to accom-modate the many storytelling require-ments encountered in modernproduction.

This has resulted in the develop-ment of two distinct types of cameralayouts. One is the basic side-by-side;two camera systems with matched

lenses are mounted together so thatconvergence, focus, zoom and otherfunctions can be readily coordinated.(This works especially well for sportsbecause the subject is generally at adistance.) With this setup, effect filtersmounted in the usual way on each lensare easy to use as long as both match.

This design suits a wide range ofsituations. The Panasonic AG-3DA1series fits two camera systems withmatched lenses into one housing,simplifying synchronized control ofzoom, focus and more, making 3-Dcapture easy. The lenses in the AG-3DA1 have a physical size that preventsthem from positioning the interaxialdistance close enough for properconvergence on subjects closer than 2.2meters (7.2'). This precludes shootingwithin the range of camera-to-subjectdistances that require the lenses to bepositioned closer together than theyphysically can be. For that, we have thebeamsplitter rig.

The concept behind the beam-

splitter rig is like a Teleprompter. Aspecial mirror, transmitting some of thelight and reflecting some, is positionedat a 45-degree angle in front of the twocamera lenses. However, instead ofbeing positioned side-by-side, the“direct” camera views horizontallythrough the mirror, and the othercamera is mounted vertically, eitherabove or below, viewing the mirror’sreflection. This makes it possible tobring the interaxial distance as close asneeded, even to the point of overlap-ping. This solves a key problem with theside-by-side camera arrangement, butin doing so it introduces a whole slew ofnew ones, some of which are tricky tohandle.

Peter Anderson, ASC, one of ourmost prolific 3-D cinematographers(U2 3D, Captain EO), walks us throughthe physics of the beamsplitter, high-lighting the attendant difficulties itpresents: “Let’s take the direct camera.Using a moderately wide lens, the top ofthe lens is looking through the glass,


Screen Plane’s Production Rig allows multiple arrangements for using effects filters on the mirror box. Shown here are two 4"x5.65" filter trays.

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almost perpendicular. At the centerline[of the lens view] we’re looking through150 percent of the thickness of the glass,roughly 41⁄2mm, because we’re lookingthrough it at an angle. When you lookthrough the top, you’re not quite at3mm … and when you look throughthe bottom, and this gets worse [diago-nally] out towards the corners … you’relooking through twice the glass, say6mm.”

In other words, there is a variable,wedge-angle-induced optical “distor-tion” created simply by the necessary riggeometry. This is made more difficultbecause the vertical camera, seeing onlythe reflection from the mirror surface,

experiences none of that wedge angle.And yet it is of critical importance thatthe two images match in all ways exceptin point of view.

You can see where this is heading.It gets worse. The image-forming lightthat is reflected toward the verticalcamera strikes the mirror at varyingangles in both horizontal and verticaldirections. In discussion with JasonGoodman, founder and CEO of 21stCentury 3D, who has been building andusing custom 3-D cameras for morethan 15 years, it came out that thisrange of angles produces variable polar-ization characteristics in the reflectedimage not seen by the direct camera. It’sbad enough that the reflected light ispartially polarized and the direct light isnot. For every object in the scene thatreflects polarized light — windows,water and sky, for example — thiscreates an unacceptable differencebetween the two views, disrupting the3-D experience for the viewer.

However, there is a solution. AsGoodman notes on his innovation,“The use of a quarter-wave retarder infront of the whole … system would takeany of this incoming linearly polarizedlight and convert it to circularly polar-ized light and … greatly mitigate theproblem.” The retarder depolarizes thelight entering the mirror box, eliminat-ing the detrimental polarization-induced effects described above. It getseven more complicated, for instance,when you have to mount the cameras sothat their shutters move in differentdirections.

Schneider Optics, a prominentmanufacturer of a broad range of opticalfilters for imaging, is now offering largefilters for mounting in front of themirror box (as described above) in arange that includes quarter-waveretarder plates as well as other usefulfilter effects.

Because beamsplitters are themajor “filter” involved in production, I

Dolby and 3Mhave partnered

to introduce 3-Dglasses (below)

with new, multi-layer,optical film

lenses that usespectral

separationtechnology andboast a lighter

weight withadvanced

ambient-lightmanagement.

Right: Thisspectral-

transmissionchart illustrates

how the glassesseparate left- and

right-eye viewsby using two

mutuallyexclusive tricolor

sets to createfull-color stereo

imaging.

THE ACADEMY RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE. SO DO WE.Here’s to this year’s OSCAR® nominees that brought their stories to life with the unmistakable look of fi lm. KODAK Film.

© Kodak, 2011. Kodak is a trademark of Kodak.Oscar is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

kodak.com/go/motion

thought it best to take a closer look atwhat goes into making these mirroredbeauties. I was able to learn more aboutbeamsplitter construction from RafikAlam, Ph.D., an optical physicist atZC&R Coatings for Optics.

Making mirrors is like makingmagic: everyone has his own “specialsauce.” The precise formulations for thecoatings are proprietary, so I won’t bedivulging secrets here, but I can providesome important details. Mirror coat-ings, typically on optical glass substrates,can be dielectric, metal or, as I learnedelsewhere, organic. Alam was specificabout the requirements: there is theneed to minimize polarization effectsand light absorption. Whereas metalmirrors are typically better at the formerfeature, dielectrics excel at the latter. ButAlam does have proprietary methodsfor controlling polarization effects withdielectrics. Metal coatings are more“affordably replaced,” which is impor-tant because they are considered an

“expendable” (especially in certaindynamic situations), and becausedielectrics can cost several thousanddollars apiece.

Metal and dielectric mirrors aregenerally produced through vacuumdeposition. Organic mirror coatings areproduced by dipping glass into a seriesof alcohol solutions that adhere to itssurface in layers of alternating low andhigh refractive index. A drawback ofthese coatings is their susceptibility tocorrosion from salt water, an issue whenfilming at sea.

No article about the uses of filters with 3-D would be completewithout touching on traditional effectfilters. Cinematographer Geoff Boyle,the forthright founder of theCinematographer’s Mailing List, shareshis thoughts: “Filters and 3-D, oh, dear,what a topic! I struggle constantly to beable to use filters as I do in 2-D. Mynormal day shooting cars involvesNeutral Blended Ratio Attenuators and

Polas. Okay, the NBRAs can sort of bedealt with [by employing] gaffer tapeand good visual guesswork! Tape thefilters to the front of the lenses … [and]I’ve gone back to 1-stop Polas on bothlenses and adjusting by eye for the bestmatch.”

Peter Anderson says that whenusing film, the Tiffen LL-D is “one ofthe greatest discoveries in filterdom ….[It has] saved my butt many times.” Thisfilter performs the color correction of an85 filter without the 2⁄3-stop light loss.Because half or more of the light is lostthrough the beamsplitter, sometimesthere isn’t enough light to compensatefor the 85. Anderson adds that if he hashard edges in the scene (a problem for3-D), he drops in a Low Con and aBlack Pro-Mist.

Using effect filters can be trickywith beamsplitter rigs. You can threadthem onto each lens, but this requirespulling the cameras away from themirror box for every change or adjust-


60

ment. Some manufacturers offer betteroptions.

At rig specialist ElementTechnica, company co-founder StephenPizzo highlighted the features of theirbeamsplitters and discussed their workon incorporating effect filters into theirrigs. They have gone to great lengths todevelop exceedingly capable mirrors,and make it a point to provide theirspecifications on their website so theirclients know what they’re getting. Theyhave also developed new filter mount-ings that maximize useful focal-lengthrange, which can be adversely affectedwhen fitting the mirror box with effect-filter mounts.

Sebastian Cramer, founder of rigmaker Screen Plane and inventor of theSkater Dolly, noted that his ProductionRig “offers a wide range of filter options;both cameras have two 4"x5.65" filtertrays [with space] for an additional 4.5"round filter. All round filters can beturned into any angle; the 4"x5.65"s are

fixed in angle. In addition, we offer acustom filter tray in front of the mirrorbox to filter the light that goes into themirror box.”

It’s clear that effect filters stillhave their place in 3-D.

As for 3-D itself, where do we gofrom here?

Technology offers a tantalizingtaste.

The Eastman Kodak Co. recentlyannounced the development of KodakLaser Projection Technology. Em-bodied in a prototype projector, lasersprovide practical cost advantages inmaintenance as well as performanceenhancements. A key factor is thatlasers are inherently polarized, eliminat-ing light losses from polarizing at theprojector, providing a brighter image.

Tim Sassoon, president of visual-effects/post facility Sassoon FilmDesign, considers the future: “We needto … be capturing enough scene infor-mation … so that one can efficiently

manipulate the image space as part ofnormal post processes, as one does colorcorrection. Generally speaking, todaywe are not. I predict that when we dohave a better approach to capturing anddisplaying depth information, it willprove to be fairly inexpensive to imple-ment … and thus will rapidly becomepervasive at every price point.”

Jean-Pierre Beauviala, prolificinnovator and founder of Aaton, hashinted online that there may soon be anew and different approach in sight: asingle camera with the ability to storespatial metadata.

The more things change, themore things change. ●

61


Ice, snow and frigid temperatures failed to keep cinephilesfrom flooding the streets of Park City, Utah, for this year’sSundance Film Festival. AC braved the wintry clime to takea firsthand look at an incredibly diverse lineup of films that

hailed from all corners of the globe. Director Dee Rees and cinematographer Bradford

Young chose Super 35mm for the coming-of-age dramaPariah, which earned the Excellence in Cinematography prizein the U.S. Dramatic category, judged by actress AmericaFerrera, film critic Todd McCarthy, cinematographer Tim Orr,and directors Kimberly Peirce and Jason Reitman.

In the U.S. Documentary competition — judged bydirector Jeffrey Blitz, cartoonist Matt Groening, director/cine-matographer Laura Poitras, producer Jess Search and editorSloane Klevin — the cinematography prize was awarded toThe Redemption of General Butt Naked. Directed by Eric Straussand Daniele Anastasion and shot by Strauss, Peter Hutchensand Ryan Hill, the film was photographed with a mix ofPanasonic and Sony cameras over the course of five years.

Our coverage also includes the Danish film In a BetterWorld, shot by Morten Søborg, DFF with the Red One; TheDevil’s Double, shot mostly with the Red One by SamMcCurdy, BSC; and the period drama Meek’s Cutoff,photographed by Christopher Blauvelt on 35mm in the rarelyattempted 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

Sundance 2011:SpiritedImagesThis year’s festival offered some stunningvisuals captured in a variety of formats.

By Michael Goldman, Iain Stasukevich and Patricia Thomson

•|•


PariahDirector: Dee ReesCinematographer: Bradford Young

This year’s Excellence inCinematography prize in the U.S.Dramatic category went to Pariah, a filmthat epitomizes the indie spirit. It was adirectorial debut shot in just 18 days; alldomestic interiors were created in asingle location, a Brooklyn brownstone;all of the grip and lighting gear could fitin a van; and the entire camera and elec-tric departments could be counted onfour fingers: director of photographyBradford Young, gaffer T.J. Alston, keygrip Christopher Koch and 1st AC HansCharles. The budget, says Young, wasless than shoestring: “It was dental floss.”

Even so, the Sundance jury wasimpressed by the cinematography on thisintimate drama about a young African-American lesbian finding her identity.“Pariah could easily have been shot veryplainly, but the filmmakers used color,framing and lens choices very well toinhabit the story,” observes cinematogra-pher and juror Tim Orr. “It felt likeinspired cinematography. It got to theheart of the story and lifted it to anotherplace.”

Pariah marks Dee Rees’ feature-directing debut, but it was actually herfourth collaboration with Young, follow-ing the documentary Eventual Salvationand two short films, one of which was anearly version of Pariah. Even on the shortPariah, Rees had specific ideas about howto enhance characterization and expressthemes through use of color, and giventhat emphasis, Young convinced her todrop the idea of shooting on DVCamand use 35mm instead. “This was back in2006, when there was no Red [One], no[Arri] Alexa, and I thought video wasgoing to be a problem color-space-wise,”says the New York-based cinematogra-pher. “I was worried about the amount ofresources I’d have and the amount ofavailable light, especially given the inten-sity of colors we wanted to push.”

Young subsequently convincedRees to shoot the short on 35mm, and

when the time came to prep the feature,the team returned to that format, shoot-ing Super 1.85:1. (This enabled them toreuse footage from the short.) Youngworked with an Arricam Lite and ZeissUltra Primes, favoring 50mm and65mm for the numerous close-ups. Heshot on Kodak Vision2 500T 5260 andVision3 250D 5207. In the digital inter-mediate at Deluxe New York, Youngworked with colorist Joe Gawler tofurther saturate the colors and crush theblacks.

The protagonist of Pariah, Alike(Adepero Oduye), is a bashful youngwoman who is tentatively exploring hersense of self. With friends, she is out butnot quite butch, wearing baggy pantsand baseball caps. With her middle-class parents, she feminizes her appear-ance just enough to pass as straight,enabling them to continue their denialabout her sexual orientation.

Rees uses two key words todescribe Alike: “subterranean” and“chameleon.” To Young, “subterranean”suggested “water” and “coolness.” And,like a chameleon, Alike adapts to herenvironment; thus, she is always bathedin the colors that surround her, withcolor washes from a mix of sources. Thefilmmakers picked colors that expressed

her ambiguous nature. “We were think-ing of the colors between the colors —not red, blue and green, but fuschia,cyan and teal,” says Rees. “Alike doesn’treally fit.” That ambiguity is resolved inthe final shot, when she is lit with puresunlight, “being truthful, being herself,”says Rees, and the restless camera settlesinto a locked-down shot, the only one inthe otherwise-handheld film.

White light suggests normalcy inthe film, and it appears both in theparents’ house and in the lesbians’ hang-out on the pier. But even within thesenormal environments, disruptionsoccur. “Dee was very specific aboutconveying an idea of what normalcy is,”says Young. “Even inside normalcy,there can be jarring things.” During thefilming of a dinner scene with Alike’sfamily, for instance, Rees came up toYoung and bumped the camera. “She’dcome and disorient the framing,” hesays. “And later, when she was buildinglanguage in the cutting room, it made somuch sense. She’d want this disruptivething happening to suggest that thingsare a bit off-kilter.”

Framing provides clues about thecharacters’ emotional states. “For Alike,the camera is always hiding or peeking,”says Rees. Alike and her mother, bothPa

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Opposite: Alike (Adepero Oduye, right) bonds with Bina (Aasha Davis) in a scene from Pariah, which won the cinematography award in the U.S. Dramatic competition at Sundance.

This page: Director of photography Bradford Young (right), director Dee Rees (center) and 1st AC Hans Charles at work on the set.


vulnerable characters, were shot mostlyin profile or three-quarters back. Youngnotes, “A lot of that is about confidence— characters who aren’t so confidentabout who they are, or we aren’t soconfident about who they are. As thestory unfolds and they become moreconfident, we start to wrap around andshow more.”

By contrast, Alike’s butch friend,Laura (Pernell Walker), “is very confi-dent and walks into the camera quite abit,” he continues. “She has nothing tohide!” Low angles enhance her swaggeruntil a scene at the piers wherein shedisplays a vulnerable side. “That’s one ofthe first times we’re at eye level [withher].”

Young also varied his lightingstrategy for characters. Toplightpredominates at the parents’ house, themother’s workplace and Laura’s apart-ment, whereas Alike is treated withsculpted sidelight. “I was trying tosuggest her complexity, and those angleson Adepero were really revealing,” saysYoung. “I’m really interested in Africanmasks, and her face is like that, verychiseled and architectural.”

Having photographed theNigerian actress in several films sincethe Pariah short, he notes, “Adepero ismy study. She has helped to confirm somany ideas about [capturing] black skintone on emulsion that African andAfrican-American cinematographershave been developing for decades.Malik Sayeed and Arthur ‘A.J.’ Jafa aremy teachers in this area, and I thinkwhat I’m doing is on the continuum ofwhat they have been developing foryears.”

In the Brooklyn brownstone,Young often lit from windows, butwhen he needed to hide sources inside,he used a “Pita Light” he and Kochdevised: a 4'x4' frame and 1'x1' battenstrip. “They’re bay lights, basically.They’re very flat and low profile becausewe use small pieces of lumber.” Oneframe carried an array of standardincandescent bulbs wired to separatedimmers; another was skinned with gelsor diffusion. “Each corner has its ownrope, so we could lower and pitch thediffusion based on where we wanted thelight to be thrown. Because it’s heldtogether with Duvatyne, we can cut the

light without having to bring in stands.”“There’s this idea that in order to

shoot film, you have to have big lights,”Rees observes, “but Brad and T.J.designed and built their own lights,which was a big factor in making thisfilm possible.”

The director is quick to add,however, that Young’s vision was farmore important. “Brad brings an eye forthe art, first. He’s not just a technician;he doesn’t just come and shoot what’son the list. He’s always looking toelevate the story and add meaning to ashot. He’s a real storyteller.”

— Patricia Thomson

The Redemption of General Butt NakedDirectors: Eric Strauss and Daniele AnastasionCinematographers: Strauss, Peter Hutchens and Ryan Hill

When Eric Strauss first readabout reformed Liberia warlord Gen.Butt Naked in Robert Young Pelton’sbook The World’s Most Dangerous Places,

◗ Sundance 2011: Spirited Images

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he was instantly hooked. “I couldn’tbelieve it,” he recalls. “Was there really aguy named General Butt Naked? Did hereally do all those horrible things andturn into someone who was nowwandering the streets of Monroviapreaching peace and reconciliation? Itgut-punched me. Can an individualmake that kind of change?” Two yearslater, he was on a plane to Africa to begina five-year journey that resulted in thedocumentary feature The Redemption ofGeneral Butt Naked, which won theExcellence in Cinematography award inthe U.S. Documentary category.

Directed by Strauss and DanieleAnastasion and shot by Strauss, PeterHutchens and Ryan Hill — allfreelancers who met at NationalGeographic — the movie covers a five-year period, beginning with JoshuaMilton Blahyi’s return to Liberia after adecade-long, self-imposed exile. In the1990s, during Liberia’s civil war, Blahyiwas a general in one of its most fearedmilitia factions, which slaughteredthousands of people. He and his childsoldiers would often charge into battlenaked except for their boots, believingthemselves protected by supernaturalpowers. But in 1996, Blahyi had areligious conversion and abruptlydisappeared from the scene.

When we first meet Blahyi, he is

returning to Liberia as an evangelistbent on his own personal redemption.We follow him as he preaches on his oldkilling fields, begs forgiveness from hisvictims and tries to rehabilitate hisformer soldiers. He voluntarily appearsbefore Liberia’s Truth and Recon-ciliation Commission, fully expectingprosecution to follow. It doesn’t, butdeath threats do, and Blahyi retreats to arefugee camp in Ghana, only to return ayear later and try anew.

“The story was very much largerthan life,“ Strauss observes. “It has somany fantastical elements that we feltwe should avoid stylizing thecinematography and instead go for avérité, handheld feel. We wanted to stayintimate with these characters so peoplewould understand that despite theselarger-than-life elements, this is a realstory about real people.”

Between 2005 and 2010, therewere five shoots in Africa, each lastingseveral weeks. During that period,digital-video cameras were evolvingquickly, so a variety of camerasaccompanied the crew. For his soloscout, in 2005, Strauss brought aPanasonic AG-DVX100A. Onceproduction began in earnest, the cameraof choice became a Panasonic AG-HVX200. Then, Sony’s PMW-EX1was taken along on one trip. Finally,Hutchens shot with a Panasonic AJ-HDX900 and Fujinon HD zoomlenses. With this, he captured biggerstreet scenes, time-lapse atmosphericsand landscape shots, including astriking pan from ocean to ramshacklelean-tos and refuse lining the beach.“Part of what moved us about the storywas that this is a very modern Africanstory in an urban setting, with abackdrop of refugee camps and slums,”says Strauss. “It’s a post-conflict nation,truly devastated, with grime and sootand buildings destroyed from war. Itwas important to show that and not usemore iconic, beautiful images of Africa.”(The final aspect ratio was 16x9.)

With three cameramen and somany different cameras, “a lot of creditgoes to the off-line editor, Jeremy Siefer,

for keeping consistency,” Hutchensnotes. He and his collaborators alsopraise colorist Will Cox at New York’sFinal Frame for creating visualcohesion. “All the magic he did withmatching color saturation and contrasthelped,” says Strauss.

With no filmmaking infra-structure in Liberia, the team had totake all their gear in with them andtravel light. Their package usuallyincluded two cameras, storage media, afew reflectors, light stands and the oddlight. “All of our interviews were lit withnatural light,” says Hutchens. “I wascontrolling light with reflectors, silksand screens, and just positioning the[interviewees]. It was a pretty stripped-down approach. I brought a 1-by-1Litepanels light but used it for just oneinterview, when natural light abated.Part of that was style, and part of it wasthe reality of needing to conservebatteries!”

Hill, who alternated trips withHutchens, also maintained a smallfootprint. “I brought a jib on the firstshoot and never took it out of the case,”he says. “Following Joshua aroundMonrovia, there were times we had noidea where he was taking us. For severalscenes, it would have been impossible totake the time to set up shots.” In termsof lighting, he notes, “we were in a lot ofburned-out buildings, and there wasnever much light. I decided that ratherthan try to bring everything up, I wouldexpose for any light at all and let the restbe shadows. That decision paid off,because Final Frame did a wonderfuljob removing noise and pulling up partsthey needed to.”

Five years with Blahyi resulted inan unfiltered intimacy betweencameramen and subject, but some of themost riveting scenes occur when Blahyimeets his victims, sometimes by chance.Filming these sensitive encounters wasnever easy. “You want to cover it, but youalso want to back off because this is adeeply unsettling moment for thepeople involved,” says Strauss.

Hill recalls, “One of the mostawkward times for me was when Joshua


Eric Strauss (pictured) shot Redemption with Peter Hutchens and Ryan Hill and directed it

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approached Senegalese, his formerbodyguard, whose legs he had shot offduring the war. We had no idea wherewe were going. Joshua just said, ‘Followme,’ and we did. Then, he suddenlymade eye contact with Senegalese, whowas in a wheelchair, and they both juststopped and stared at each other. I froze.I can’t imagine what was runningthrough their minds, but I just tried tocover it as well as I could from where Iwas standing. I’m sure I could havecovered the scene better if I’d gottencloser to them and moved around, butthat seemed inappropriate.”

Likewise, when Hutchens laterfilmed Blahyi meeting Senegalese’swidow, “I let that awkwardness play out,watching the tears fall and exploring thescene from a single spot instead ofmoving around,” he says. “When there’ssomething real going on, if you do drawattention to the camera, it will ultimatelycost you.”

All three cinematographers triedhard to establish a human connectionwhen filming victims unannounced.

“One eye is in the camera, and yourother eye is looking around, lettingthem know you’re a person, that you’refriendly,” says Hutchens.

“There’s that moment whereyou’re in a scene, you’re trying to conveyyour sympathies and you’re almostlooking for their approval that it’s okayto keep rolling,“ adds Strauss. “It’s aweird, wordless moment, but it happensa lot. Sometimes you know it’s not okay,and that’s when you stop filming.”

Every night, back at their hotel,the filmmakers would analyze anddebate their own responses to theircomplicated, charismatic subject. “Somedays we despised him, and some dayswe were seduced by him,” recallsStrauss. “I knew we’d never be able toanswer the film’s larger questions aboutjustice and forgiveness. Letting thescenes play out on their own and lettingthe audience really wrestle with thesame moments we wrestled with wasthe most honest way to put it out there.”

—Patricia Thomson

In a Better WorldDirector: Susanne BierCinematographer: Morten Søborg, DFF

In recent years, Morten Søborg,DFF has enjoyed great success working asa camera operator or director of photog-raphy on six films with director and fellowDane Susanne Bier, but In a Better Worldmay end up as their highest-profilecollaboration to date. By the time themovie had its U.S. premiere at Sundance,it had already been nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign-Language Feature. (It subsequently won.)

While shooting the movie inDenmark and Kenya over the course ofeight weeks in late 2009, however, suchaccolades were far from Søborg’s mind.“You never know if [a movie] will besomething that makes it big or not, so younever think about those things,” he says.“You just work to make the project asgood as possible, and this one was veryhard. A lot of things had to cometogether.”


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Elias (MarkusRygaard, left) andChristian (William

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Danish film In ABetter World.

After shootingwith the Red One,

cinematographerMorten Søborg,

DFF used thedigital grade togive the images

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One reason for that is the fact thatthe production spent a week shooting ata small refugee camp in a Kenyan villagecalled Kikopey, crafting visuals that hadto be strategically contrasted with theimagery captured in Denmark. Thelocations reflect the dual nature of thestory: a Danish physician, Anton(Mikael Persbrandt), labors to save livesin an African refugee camp in theshadow of a vicious war, while at home,his bullied son, Elias (Markus Rygaard),bonds with another bullied youngster(William Jøhnk Nielsen) and schemesto get even with their tormenter.

The themes of paternal responsi-bility, anger, loneliness and revenge arecharacteristic of Bier’s work, but theyalso posed visual challenges for Søborgand his crew. Certain aspects of the filmmirror his previous collaborations withBier, such as naturalistic lighting andhandheld camerawork, while otheraspects were new territory for both ofthem.

“There are always similarities inour films together in terms of the waywe work,” says the cinematographer.“They are mainly shot handheld to giveactors maximum freedom. We planwhat we want to have happen, of course,but I like to hold cameras and let theactors move freely while I shoot 360

degrees. We also use lots of close-ups ofactors. This story is all about feelingsbetween the characters, so we do lots ofgood close-ups. The lighting philoso-phy with Susanne is always to stay asclose to reality as possible [and] to giveactors the ability to move freely wher-ever we are. If the setting is a house, welight the whole house so they can walkfreely through it.

“But the most important thing inthis movie was to illustrate the differ-ences between Denmark and Africa.We wanted Denmark to appear verysafe, secure and rich, and then Antongoes to Africa, which is completely theopposite. So the Danish portions of thestory look idyllic, almost like a postcard— a Kodachrome sort of look. AndAfrica [looks] very gritty.”

In the story, the camp is locatedin Sudan and is much larger than thefilmmakers’ actual location. Much ofthe action there takes place in a medicalfacility where Anton works againstgreat odds to save lives. “The actualcamp in the story was too big for ourbudget, so this was a good solution,” hesays. “The people who run the campagreed to let us shoot there and evenhad people dress up as extras. In return,we built actual structures for them,including the medical facility. So we

benefitted from it, and they did, too,because those structures were left intactfor them to use.

“It was difficult shooting there,especially because we only had five days,but Susanne and I shot in India for ourlast film [After the Wedding], and I havea documentary background, so I’m usedto primitive conditions. We wereconstantly fighting elements like windand dust, which had us concernedbecause we were using Red Onecameras, but in the end, the dust looksflawless on the screen and really helpedthe visual realism.”

Søborg used an Arri LWZ-1(15.5-45mm T2.8) zoom lens for mostof the shoot, and also used a few ZeissSuperspeed primes for a handful ofnight sequences. Footage was recordedto Red Drive hard drives and sometimesto Compact Flash cards.

The cinematographer has useddigital capture on all his collaborationswith Bier, and he suggests that for manyEuropean productions, shooting digi-tally “comes down to economics. ADanish budget wouldn’t permit us toshoot 35mm, and I think the digitalformats have now come so far that theylook better than Super 16mm for thiskind of work. On this movie, I was verypleased with how the Red dealt with thecontrast, the dust and the hot climate.”

Nevertheless, during the digitalgrade at Filmek Teknik in Sweden,Søborg strove to make sure the moviewould not look “digital” on the bigscreen. Working under Søborg’s direc-tion, colorist Peter Hjorth built aCineSpace-calibrated look-up tabledesigned to imitate slightly overexposedKodak Vision2 50D 5201 and placed itonto RedLog files throughout the grad-ing process, which was done on a DigitalVision Nucoda Film Master.

“Peter made the images look likethey were shot on Kodak daylight film,”says the cinematographer. “It came outnicely. About 70 percent of the filmemulation looked right the first time helaid it on there, and the rest [of thegrade] was spent correcting or adjustingminor things. We put a lot of effort into


Søborg captures a shot on location in Kenya.

that, but as the cinematographer, I wasmainly concerned with the overallmood, the emotion of the visuals. Wegot it looking the way we wantedquickly.”

— Michael Goldman

The Devil’s DoubleDirector: Lee TamahoriCinematographer: Sam McCurdy, BSC

“Criminal gangs who run coun-tries need to be exposed,” says directorLee Tamahori. In The Devil’s Double,the country is Iraq circa 1987, and thecriminal gang is Saddam Hussein’s royalfamily. The vilest criminal is Saddam’ssadistic son, Uday (Dominic Cooper),the focus of Tamahori’s film.

The Devil’s Double tells the storyof Army Lt. Latif Yahia (also played byCooper), a schoolmate of Uday whobore a close physical resemblance to theprince. Yahia was offered a choice:become Uday’s body double, or see hisown family slaughtered. A morallyupright individual, Yahia is thrust into aworld of debauchery and corruption,and he endangers his own life bybecoming involved with the prince’smistress (Ludivine Sagnier).

Though loosely based on Yahia’sautobiography, The Devil’s Doublemakes no pretense of being a politicalhistory. “This is our Middle EasternScarface,” says cinematographer SamMcCurdy, BSC (Centurion, AC Sept.’10). Tamahori concurs, “I’m hopingaudiences will see it as a gangster film.”

Most gangster movies don’tattempt the feat at the core of Devil’sDouble, however: having a single actorplay both lead roles. It was up to the filmmakers to weave Cooper’s two performances into a seamlesswhole, and they used an array of toolsfor this purpose: strategic cross-cutting,motion-control with split-screencomposites, and digital face replace-ment. But to keep the story comprehen-sible, McCurdy and Tamahori stuck toconventional camera moves. “We triedto keep it as simple as possible, even

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within the action sequences,” says thecinematographer. “There are far toomany gangster movies that try toimpress with camera trickery. This wassuch a complex story that we didn’twant to compromise it with 360-degreeSteadicam shots, cameras flying over-head, or lots of handheld stuff. We went

out of our way to go back to that late-’80s way of making movies: Everythingwas dolly and track, very composed, andkept almost still to let the performancescome out.”

Principal photography took placeover 42 days in Malta, whose NorthAfrican look and swank hotels gave the

feel of 1980s Iraq. Except for Saddam’soffice and bedrooms, everything wasshot on location, with the hotels’entrances, lobbies and suites providing asolid base for production designer PaulKirby. (Additional plates and flybyswere shot in Jordan.)

McCurdy captured most of TheDevil’s Double digitally with a Red One(for a final aspect ratio of 2.40:1). Hiscamera package, provided by London’sTake Two Film Services, included twoRed Ones, an Arri 435 (used for actionsequences) and Cooke S4 prime lenses.“Having worked with the Red quite afew times, I know its problems andpitfalls when it comes to action,” heexplains. “It has a lot of dropouts, andsome very strange things occur with thecamera when you try to blow things up[onscreen] or fire shots straight into it. Itcauses dropout and can result in a phasebar.”

Because the budget allowed foronly six or seven shots of face replace-ment, the filmmakers relied mostly onmotion control to accomplish scenes in


Right: The Devil’sDouble follows anunfortunate Iraqiwho is forced toserve as a body

double for UdayHussein, SaddamHussein’s sadistic

son. DominicCooper plays both

roles in the film.Below: Director ofphotography Sam

McCurdy, BSC atwork on the set.

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which Uday and Yahia appear in thesame frame. Kontrol Freax in Londonprovided a KFX motion-control rig,which allowed for speedy setups onlocation. “It’s a fully hydraulic system,but it runs on standard tracks,” saysMcCurdy. “We could literally lay downa track that the A camera was going touse, then pop it off and put the KFXstraight on it.” What might have takentwo to three hours to set up with adifferent mo-co rig took less than anhour.

The production could afford justthree weeks with the KFX, so McCurdydevised a poor-man’s motion-control rigto fill in at other times. “We had anArriMotion system, which is basically aremote head whose moves arecompletely recordable,” he says. Tocreate a twinning shot, he’d break thecamera move into two parts; the firstwould have the A camera on track anddolly, operated normally, and the secondwould begin when Cooper’s other char-acter entered the frame. “We’d lock thecamera off at the end of the track and letthe head do the panning, tilting and allthe rest, because it was fully recordable,”says McCurdy. “That meant we couldshoot Dominic as Uday on the motionhead, then take the B camera and shootother angles and leave the A camerawhere it was. When Dominic cameback from makeup dressed as Yahia,we’d put him straight back in where theA camera was locked off, and it wouldrepeat its move while he played theother character.” The switch from trav-eling camera to moving head was seam-less and never felt like a lockoff. “All itmeant was that we lost a camera for ahalf hour, maybe an hour, depending onhow long makeup was.”

For McCurdy, the most impor-tant part of making motion-controlwork is the eyeline. “It’s not aboutmatching the background perfectly. Ifwe had the two of them in the sameframe, you’d have to believe they’relooking at each other. That’s one of thebeauties of shooting digitally: We coulddownload straight away to our DITStation, where we had Final Cut Pro. It

was very rough and ready, but it wouldgive us a very quick composite to checkeyeline, background registration andperformance.”

To establish eyelines, the produc-tion avoided the ball-on-a-stick routine.“You may recall the stories of BobHoskins going mad on Who FramedRoger Rabbit? because he was playing toan orange ball,” says McCurdy. “We justdidn’t want to do that to Dominic.”Instead, Cooper would play to no one,or he would play to an actor hired to behis physical double and provide theeyeline. During these shots, Cooper wasusing an earpiece to hear his perfor-mance as the other character.

For any one shot, McCurdywould do three or four passes: a cleanone, which gave the scene its look andset the template for grading; one passeach for Uday and Yahia, and occasion-ally one with Cooper and his double.“You can imagine Dominic going off ona full Uday rant, with the double juststanding there, trying to keep still andnot quiver,” McCurdy says with a laugh.“It was a very different experience for allof us, and we all felt for Dominic whenhe had to do the big scenes. We hope itcomes off seamlessly.

“When I watched the first full cut

for the first time, I completely forgotthat Dominic was playing both parts,”he adds. “If I can do that, we must havedone something right!”

— Patricia Thomson

Meek’s CutoffDirector: Kelly ReichardtCinematographer: Christopher Blauvelt

Set on an infamous branch of theOregon Trail in 1845, Kelly Reichardt’sMeek’s Cutoff provided a wealth ofopportunities and challenges for first-time director of photographyChristopher Blauvelt, a longtime assis-tant and operator for Harris Savides,ASC.

The unusual nature of the film isevident in the very first frame: Reichardtchose the long-dormant aspect ratio of1.33:1 instead of standard 1.85:1 orwidescreen 2.40:1. “Kelly decided earlyon that she wanted Meek’s Cutoff toreflect the look of an older film, and a1.33 frame enhances the landscape justas much as ’Scope,” says Blauvelt. “Wewere working with these huge, beautifullocations, and because the frame issquare, we were able to include a lot offoreground as well as lots of sky in the


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Pioneers on the Oregon Trail are the focus of Meek’s Cutoff, which played in the festival’s Spotlight program.

74

same frame.” The filmmakers were careful not

to emphasize the splendor of theOregon locations, however. Visual influ-ences included Terrence Malick’s Days ofHeaven as well as Peter Weir’s starkerPicnic at Hanging Rock. “The story isabout the hardships these characters arefacing on their journey, so Kelly didn’twant to make the images all aboutbeauty,” says Blauvelt. “We neverwanted the audience to notice thecamera, and that’s a goal I really admire.There had to be a purpose for every[shot].”

In the film, three lost families beara heavy emotional and physical burdenas they traverse the same high-deserttrail where the real-life trapper andguide Stephen Meek (played by BruceGreenwood) led his followers to anuncertain fate.

During the day, Blauvelt shotwith mostly natural light, occasionallyemploying bounce cards or one of thetwo 12'x12' UltraBounces that were onhand. “Overall, it was very natural,” hesays. “If the actor was supposed to be inshade, we’d try to put Half Grid orQuarter Grid overhead when we’d comeinto close-ups.”

Blauvelt’s biggest challenge wasmaking the most of whatever sourceswere available to light night scenes, mostoften firelight and candlelight. Toaugment that, he had just two 2KBlondes, two 1K Redheads, and a1,000-watt Chinese lantern. “For wideshots of the camp at night, we’d have allthe fires going and use those two 2Ks,”he recalls. “Our production designer,David Doernberg, placed the wagonsand fires close to each other to helpmake it seem like there weren’t multiplesources, and to hide the lights’ falloff asmuch as possible.”

Blauvelt had no choice but tounderexpose the image during thesenight scenes, which he shot on KodakVision2 Expression 500T 5229. Buteven when shooting in the bright lightof day, on Kodak Vision2 250D 5205,he still chose to shoot 1-2 stops under.“We were living on the ragged edge of

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disaster in some of the night scenes,” herecalls, laughing, “but working withHarris, I learned a lot about how far youcan push things. I fell back on my

instincts, and I’m happy that Kelly waswilling to go for it. I love living in thatzone; when you can pull it off, it’s beau-tiful.”

In one noteworthy scene, twocharacters (played by Michelle Williamsand Will Patton) have a hushed conver-sation in a tent, a cover set constructed inan airplane hangar. The scene was litwith a single double-wick candle. “Thepractical was inside the tent, and weenhanced it with a flicker box and aRedhead gelled with Full CTO outside,”says Blauvelt. “We aimed the lighttoward the candle, and that would illu-minate more of the tent and enable us todirect the light a bit more.”

To slightly desaturate colors,Blauvelt had the negative pull-processedby 1 stop at Deluxe Laboratories inHollywood. “With day exteriors, I’d readfor the highlights and not compensatefor the pull, and at night I was just goingfor the most natural darkness,” he says.When the time came for the digitalgrade, which was handled by NextElement in Burbank, “the image was sounderexposed at times that we couldn’tdo much,” he adds. “I’m proud that we


653

The unwrapping of foil signals an inconspicuous celebration.

Th ink LEEwww.leefi lters.com

Meek’s Cutoffcinematographer

ChristopherBlauvelt takes a

break onlocation. The

drama marks hisfirst credit as a

director ofphotography.

76

were able to get so much of the look in-camera.”

Meek’s Cutoff was not Blauvelt’sfirst all-exterior shoot in a harsh envi-ronment — his credits include assistingSavides on Gerry (AC April ’02) — buthe describes the conditions as “prettyextreme.” In the first week of produc-tion, a crewmember was hospitalized forheat exhaustion, and during the thirdweek, actor Rod Rondeaux was hospi-talized for hypothermia. “We werehiking all the time, going as far as wecould off the trails, and where thereweren’t any trails we’d drive for hoursinto nowhere land,” says Blauvelt.

In this terrain, the coveredwagons navigate wide fields filled withdivots, rocks and uneven ground. Evenwith a Steadicam, following the actionwas a challenge. For long shots wherethe camera tracks with the wagons,Steadicam operator Greg Schmidt rodeon a customized golf cart, following apath cleared earlier that morning by

grips and production assistants. Keeping the cameras (an Arricam

Lite and an Arri BL-3) and lenses(Cooke S4 primes) protected from theelements was almost a full-time job for1st AC Stephen MacDougall and 2ndAC Eliza Plumlee. “They would all buthermetically seal our camera truck,” saysBlauvelt. “The dust in a lot of thoselocations was so fine that it got intoeverything. After the first week ofshooting, we had giant, plastic sheetscovering the door to the camera cubeand then a metal door, and then we’dcover over all the seams with Velcro andtape. But Stephen and Eliza always keptus functional and free of scratches.”

Having safely and successfullynavigated his first trek as a cinematogra-pher, Blauvelt speaks with equal passionabout his fellow travelers: “DavidDoernberg and [costume designer]Victoria Farrell really took my work tothe next level — they were with Kellyearly on, taking photos on location and

sampling their surroundings for color.On set, everybody helped out withevery single thing, from the producerson down. If we had to lay a hundred feetof dolly track, everybody would getinvolved. It changes the whole experi-ence when everyone is onboard with thegoal of making something great.”

— Iain Stasukevich●

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Warner Bros. MPI Facilitates Fast Finish for Red Riding HoodBy Michael Goldman

Color is not only in the title but also at the core of CatherineHardwicke’s Red Riding Hood, and the director worked with thefilm’s cinematographer, Mandy Walker, ACS, and colorist, MaxineGervais of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, to achieve what shehad in mind. Hardwicke suggests the trio’s close collaboration wasparticularly crucial in light of the picture’s short schedule: 43 days ofprincipal photography and 10 weeks’ less post time than originallyplanned.

“We were supposed to have 31 weeks [for post], but thatwas shortened to 21 after Warner Bros. secured a great release datein March,” says Hardwicke. “It was handy to do the color timing onthe lot, where everyone else was. I had never worked with Maxinebefore, and she’s a real artist. You barely give her an idea, and she’squickly making a cool little matte and tracking it. She’s a real rock staron that console, and that’s what Mandy and I needed to get whatwe wanted on our schedule.”

When they spoke to AC (in separate interviews), the teamwas still putting the finishing touches on the picture. All threeemphasized their intent to create a magical world in which the titu-lar heroine (played by Amanda Seyfried) encounters dark forces andenjoys a passionate love affair in a mysterious forest.

“It’s definitely not a horror film,” says Walker. “It’s a thrillerand romance [wrapped] in a fairytale. Our forest scenes are magical,

with lots of shafts of light, lots of color and lots of atmosphere.”Hardwicke, a former production designer, based the look on

reams of designs, pictures and drawings from medieval times to thepresent, and had long talks with Walker about the colors she had inmind. Walker, who shot on Kodak Vision3 500T 5219 and 250D5207, jokes that the two of them turned to Gervais “to sprinkle fairydust on top of some of our images. Maxine was really able tocompliment what we did in-camera and also push a bit furtherthings we couldn’t achieve fully in-camera, such as giving the skiesstronger contrast and color, and doing some beauty touch-ups.”

Gervais was involved earlier than usual on the production,working on various tests and timing several preview screeningsherself. “That helped because we could really put the filmmakers’vision into the previews,” notes Gervais. “Many previews comestraight out of the Avid, but in this case, we did intricate, full-on digi-tal grades. We’d take an HD DNx 115 output [from Avid] to HDCam-SR tape, ingest that tape into [the Filmlight Baselight 4.2 color-correction system], scene-detect it to break it into cuts, and time it inRec 709. We timed the previews as if they were the final DI, exceptfor the fact that it was compressed HD.

“Because of that, by the time we finally scanned the negativeto start final color correction, I already had a strong direction fromthe filmmakers and could go through the first pass before Mandyand Catherine came in to do final tweaks,” she continues. “Then wecould spend the rest of the time refining it. This enabled us to bringit all home in crunch time with our tight schedule.”

“Color is very important in this film, especially with the art

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Left: Red Riding Hood’s magical world was finessed in the digitalintermediate at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. Above:

Cinematographer Mandy Walker, ACS (right) checks the light on set.

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direction, costumes and lighting,” notesWalker. “During both the shooting and thetiming, we were mindful of the contrast ofcolors, and in particular of how that redcloak would show up in the frame. Wewere doing tests with Maxine on the cloakand other colors very early on, soon afterwe started post.”

Red’s iconic cloak is a central visualdevice in the story. “In fact, it’s the only redin the movie!” notes Hardwicke. A varietyof fabrics and shades of red were testedearly on, and Hardwicke and costumedesigner Cindy Evans eventually chose aspecially embroidered silk fabric from India.“Mandy shot a test to show how we couldenhance the color,” Hardwicke recalls. “Youcan see how it really pops from the back-ground, especially against the white snow.Mandy was very careful in her balancingand lighting, and we then enhanced whennecessary in the DI.”

The philosophy of highlightingparticular colors was carried over to otheraspects of the visuals. The priest (played byGary Oldman) wears rich purple robes thatwere likewise designed to stand out.“Warner Bros. actually mandated vibrantcolors,” says Hardwicke. “They didn’t wantmuted grays, blacks or whites, or too muchdesaturation. So we were constantly think-ing about how to make specific colorspop.”

Gervais credits the Baselight systemwith allowing her to solve certain kinds ofvisual-effects challenges in the DI suite. Red

Riding Hood has 300 visual-effects shots,supervised by Jeffrey Okun, and the artistscreating them were laboring on many ofthose shots up to the last possible minute.But, says Hardwicke, “there are certainthings that Maxine could do very rapidly inthe DI, and I don’t just mean cosmeticfixes.”

In particular, Gervais helped Hard-wicke achieve the colorful sky the directororiginally planned when she captured heli-copter footage for the movie’s openingtitles one day early in the shoot. The daythat footage was captured “was notperfect, and we had been working on thisidea that the sky could be better than real-ity,” says Hardwicke. “So Jeff Okun’s teamput in some clouds, a CG mountain rangeand things like that, and then Maxine gaveit a hint more color and dimension.”

“Basically, I was creating somethingin the sky that was not there when it wasphotographed,” says Gervais. “In Baselight,I pulled a matte of the sky and created ashape that would simulate sun rays glow-ing out of the clouds and sky. With keys,shapes, transforms, softening and glows, Iwas able to achieve a visual-effects-likeeffect. It was done to match later [shots]that had natural sunrays piercing the sky.This sequence is also where the main titlesare, so I asked the title house [PIC Agency]to deliver titles with a matte channel, so Icould build them in Baselight on top of thecolor-corrected images. There are a lot ofthings like that in this movie that go beyond

“During both the shooting and the timing, we were mindful of the contrast of colors, and inparticular of how that red cloak would show up in the frame,” says Walker.

also give clients access to Prime Focus’View-D proprietary 3-D conversion process.

Connected by Prime Focus’ GlobalDigital Pipeline, the New York office willwork closely with its sister offices in Londonon advertising and broadcast projects, capi-talizing on the opportunity to offer clientson both sides of the Atlantic extendedreach and services, and with the PrimeFocus Los Angeles and Vancouver officeson visual effects and View-D projects.

“This expansion of our services,infrastructure and capacity is a naturalstep,” says joint managing director MaryMartin. “We pride ourselves on thepersonal service, comfort and conveniencewe offer our clients here in New York, andthis new facility will allow us to continue tooffer this with the addition of a brand newinfrastructure and an expanded range ofservices.” Martin and joint managing direc-tor Anthony Matt will be overseeing themove into the new facility and the recruit-ment of new talent.

“We’ve been planning an expansionof our services in New York for a while, and

the usual DI work, but by doing it in the DIsuite, we gave Mandy and Catherine morecontrol, and we helped the visual-effectsteam when they were [up against dead-line].”

Hardwicke notes that Gervais alsoassisted with the film’s central visual effect:the monstrous wolf that prowls the darkwoods. The creature was created byRhythm & Hues, whose artists built mattesfor the wolf’s body, fur and eyes as separateelements, permitting Gervais to isolatedifferent parts of the creature and adjustthem to fit specific cut and scene require-ments.

“That way Catherine was able tobring up details wherever she felt it neededit,” says Gervais. “For example, we couldbring up the eyes to add drama.”

Red Riding Hood was alsoconformed at MPI entirely in Baselight by DIeditor/assistant colorist Katie Largay. Gervaisnotes that this was another advantage on aproject that was on such a fast track. “Noth-ing had to leave the DI room and then comeback,” she says. “Everything happened in

front of me, Catherine and Mandy. Every-thing moved super fast, but with greatquality control.”

For more on Hardwicke and Walker’scollaboration, see the author’s blog, “Art ofthe Craft,” at www.theasc.com.

Facility News

Prime Focus Opens N.Y. FacilityGlobal visual-entertainment-services

company Prime Focus has announced plansto create a cutting-edge visual-effects andpost facility in New York City’s West Village.The opening of the 13,300-square-footstudio at 345 Hudson St., slated for earlysummer, marks a major expansion of PrimeFocus’ presence on the East Coast andallows the company to double its workforcein New York.

In addition to a 3-D-enabled digital-intermediate theater, the studio will offer a5.1 mixing theater, a full complement ofoffline and online editing suites, and 2-Dand 3-D visual-effects suites. The facility will

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the timing is now right,” says Simon Briggs,managing director, U.K. “We have the rightbuilding, a fantastic team, and the drive andambition to make this office a very signifi-cant part of our global network.”

For additional information, visitwww.primefocusworld.com.

Tunnel Post Incorporates Codex Digital LabTunnel Post, a full-service digital post

house in Santa Monica, Calif., haspurchased Codex Digital’s Digital Labsystem and is making it the hub of a digital-lab service for commercials, televisionshows and feature films.

Tunnel Post will use the Codex Digi-tal Lab to process digitally acquired media,prepare files for editorial, facilitate colorgrading and create archival media files.Used in tandem with Codex recorders anddata packs, the system provides a standard-ized, end-to-end workflow for digitallyacquired media and is compatible withmost professional-grade digital cameras,including the Arri Alexa. The Digital Lab can

process camera media at speeds severaltimes faster than real time and output filesin formats required by most editorialsystems, including Apple ProRes and AvidDNxHD.

“Our new dailies workflow withCodex Digital Lab streamlines the digitalproduction process by eliminating the prob-lem of managing codecs and formats,” saysTunnel Post CEO Kyle Jackson. “We will beable to provide production companies withfast turnaround for their dailies and greatersecurity for their digital assets. It will alsobenefit editorial companies by freeing themfrom the complex task of processing digital-media files.”

Tunnel Post plans to offer threegrades of processing service, with one-light,best-light and DI-graded color treatmentsapplied; same-day or next-day service isavailable, depending on the level of gradingapplied. “With our Codex workflow, direc-tors, cinematographers and editors can seetheir dailies in hours, not days,” says JeffBrue, Tunnel Post’s chief technology officer.“Additionally, this system makes it possible

to preserve camera data and similar infor-mation throughout the postproductionprocess, maintaining important lines ofcreative communication between the [cine-matographer] and the colorist, between theeditor and the sound mixer, and betweenthe dailies colorist and the final colorist.

“We can make sure everything looksgreat in the edit bay,” Brue continues.“Later, when [the filmmakers] want to do afinal touch up, they can do so with muchless time and cost, because a lot of thework will already be done.”

For additional information, visitwww.codexdigital.com and http://tunnelpost.com. ●

Digital Vision is grateful to its customers who continually raise the bar of excellence and propel them to push the boundaries in nonlinear grading.

www.digitalvision.tv

Recipient of the HPA 2010 Engineering Excellence Award for its High Dynamic Range Pipeline.

“The work that we do at Hydraulx is inventive and demanding. Our tools and methodology have to keep up. When we dug into the sophisticated grading tools of Nucoda Film Master and its OpenEXR architecture, we saw that it would serve both our films and the visual effects clients of Hydraulx in an extremely powerful way.”

Greg Strause | Skyline Director – Owner of Santa Monica based Hydraulx.

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Alan Caso, ASC Unfetters a Digital ShootBy Michael Goldman

When Alan Caso, ASC teamed withdigital-imaging technician Ethan Phillips onNBC’s series Trauma in 2009, they sought tomeld high-definition-video cameras with film-style philosophies and logistics. They pursued“a way to shoot HD like film — not tethered,not anchored, with the ergonomics of film,and without being locked into a tent,” Casoexplains.

The way they “untethered” theircameras was by replacing the DIT tent with aportable, lightweight, 12-volt engineeringcart and recording to onboard SRW-1 HDtape recorders. “It was a primitive but instru-mental first step in simplifying the digital-capture process to match the way I work,”says Caso.

Now he and Phillips are collaboratingon the CBS series The Defenders, and theyhave improved the approach. Thanks toadvances in wireless technology, they transmit images wirelessly tothe cart in order to remotely adjust color values on their recorded

images. “We shoot all aspects of the show without camera cables,and we’ve rejected LUTs, instead choosing a simpler path,” saysCaso.

The production utilizes the engineering cartto control and manipulate images capturedusing various combinations of Sony F35, SonyPMW-EX3 and Canon EOS 7D cameras, allrecording in full linear ITU-709 space to tape viathe onboard recorders. The signal, however,also travels to Phillips’ mobile cart through anIDX Wevi transmitter and a TTR 4x1 12-voltswitcher. There, Phillips adjusts the color-valuesettings remotely to Caso’s specifications usingSony’s RMB 750 camera-control system, anAstro Waveform Vectorscope, and a 17" Pana-sonic LCD monitor that is calibrated to closelymimic colorist Steve Porter’s 42" monitor atMTI Film, where the final color correctionhappens.

Phillips and Caso prefer this method torecording raw Log data because the latter“would give too much control of the image tothe producers,” says Caso. They rejected the

LUT path “because of the necessary cables and excess equipment,”he adds. He acknowledges that this preference is controversial in the

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Alan Caso,ASC (left)

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the CBStelevisionseries The

Defenders.

“We shoot all aspects of the show

without cameracables, and we’ve

rejected LUTs, insteadchoosing a simpler

path.”

SI-2KDigital Cinema Camera

HS-2 MKII

PRO35

MINI35

35Digital Lenses

16Digital SR Mag

IMS Lens Mounts

SKATER Scope

SKATER Dolly

SteadyFrame Scanner

16Digital Lenses

3D Stereo Rigs

„For us, the HS-2 was the obvious choice because of it‘s proven reliability, high quality images and because it outputs HD/SDI directly from it‘s 12.000 frame buffer without any wait time for rendering.“

“a common misconception,” explaining,“It’s actually not true. It’s the other wayaround. Log cannot be fully fleshed outbecause it’s so squished in the center. Any

colorist will tell you that the LOG filecompresses things. I’m leaving the stuffwide open. We hit that sweet spot on thetape where color values remain legal, andwe don’t blow out whites or crush blacks.”

Caso says an added bonus is that he“lights [by eye], just like I always have whenshooting film. Nothing misleads the eyemore than letting electronics change theway you paint. Instead, I’m using the toolsand the incredible ability of these cameras tocapture light and imagery to my advantage,to enhance how I’ve always lit things. And Ican manipulate things on set, taking advan-tage of the best of what digital capture hasto offer — instant viewing of imagery —without getting seduced by the technol-ogy.”

Both men emphasize that this is acustomized solution that works best fortheir particular situation. But they alsosuggest the real innovation is not their tools,but, rather, how they approached the prob-lem to begin with. “Most people are in theDIT tent because they’re trying to get thebest image possible, basically color timing

sense that it leaves the impression thatcinematographers are “stuck” with adjust-ments they place on the master tape whileshooting. However, Phillips calls that notion

The Defenders cast and crew reset between takes on a set free of camera cables.

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on set,” says Caso. “But no matter howmuch you do at that stage, you’re going totime the show again in post, so it seemsridiculous to spend production time doingthat. My goal is to control the look of theshow by leaving enough of an imprint thatproducers and the post team will clearlyknow what I had in mind, but still givemyself flexibility to go wherever I want in thefinal timing.”

Caso believes this technique is moreexact than other, older methods of commu-nicating the cinematographer’s vision, suchas coloring still photos as references. “Allthose other ways can be misinterpreted,” hesays. “To leave a blank page open for inter-pretation is the cinematographer’s enemy. Inthe past, there was no way to fully calibratethe image in the field with the image inpost. Even now, you never know what kindof monitor the person on the other end isusing. The big problem with working digi-tally is that there is no standard. This wassolved by LUTs, but the trouble with LUTs isthe amount of equipment needed on set,and the time one inevitably [spends] fooling

around with ‘looks’ during production.“What we’ve done is create a stan-

dard by matching my monitor with the

colorist’s monitor,” he continues. “There isnothing more exact than that. It’s finite.”

●

Caso emphasizes that his strategy on The Defenders is a customized solution that works best for the show’s particular needs.


The Importance of the Image Interchange FrameworkBy Stephanie Argy

In last month’s issue, we outlined the use of the ImageInterchange Framework on the television series Justified (Produc-tion Slate, page 16). The IIF is a new, forward-thinking workflowarchitecture devised by a group of color scientists and industryexperts working together under the auspices of the Academy ofMotion Picture Arts and Sciences to address the problems createdby the industry’s adoption of digital tools for image capture. Itdefines the image characteristics of cameras, color-correctionsystems, output devices and other elementsof the production pipeline so that maximumdynamic range and color information can bemaintained through the entire productionand post workflow.

Justified is the first real-world use ofthe IIF. In this conversation, Ray Feeney, co-chair of the Academy’s Science and Technol-ogy Council, and Curtis Clark, ASC, chair-man of the ASC Technology Committee,delve deeper and explain the IIF’s impor-tance to the industry.

Ray Feeney: If you’re reading thismagazine, you have an interest in images, soright now you need to be paying attentionto the IIF. A lot of people think it’s only forthe future. They say, ‘That IIF stuff is inter-esting, but it doesn’t relate to me right now.Why should I care? Why should I change?’My experience is that colorists make thepicture as good as they possibly can within current color-manage-ment workflow parameters. Then, from there, if they turn thedials left, right, up or down, it only gets worse, and they say,‘Anything else I do to it makes it less good. I’m already making thepicture as good as it can be. So why do I have a problem?’ Whatthey don’t understand is that because of the system they have, ‘asgood as it can be’ isn’t really as good as it can be.

Curtis Clark, ASC: You’re using a color-managementworkflow that won’t let you achieve optimal results, and you’rethrowing away vital pieces of your image data, including highlightand shadow detail, along with color bit depth. It’s like looking ata VistaVision image in an Academy format. The differencebetween a Rec 709 rendered implementation and an IIF-ACESimplementation is so powerful that you cannot come away fromthe comparison of the two with any other conclusion than, ‘Thisis how I must work.’

Feeney: When we deal with people one-on-one, we tellthem, ‘Take something you’ve done that’s gone on the air, some-thing that’s as good as you can get within your time and budget,and then take the source material behind that and bring it into IIFand spend just a couple minutes tweaking it. If you don’t like theIIF system better, we’ll be very surprised.’

Clark: You can shorten the amount of time it takes to docertain things because you’re starting off from a better place. Itboils down to a simple question: How much time do you want tospend making creative decisions vs. doing fixes?

Feeney: The problem is that we can’t do that one-on-onedemonstration for everybody. When we make presentations to

cinematographers, they go back to theirtrusted colorist and say, ‘I hear there’s thisthing called IIF …,’ and the post facilities say,‘Yeah, we know about it. When it’s ready,we’ll talk about it, but don’t worry yourpretty little head about that.’

Clark: We’ve heard those commentseven in the ASC Technology Committee: ‘It’sa science project.’

Feeney: Clients are often told, ‘Youdon’t need that.’

Clark: With Justified, we didn’t haveany doubts about what the IIF-ACES wouldbe able to achieve because of all the workwe’d already put into it. A year and a halfago, the work in the Academy’s IIF groupshad arrived at a level of maturity that createdthe consensus that the system was ready tobe implemented in real-world trials. Peopleneeded to be confident that it’s ready for

primetime.Feeney: We have said, ‘We’ve done all we can as a

research group. We need facilities that are willing to try this andgive us feedback.’

Clark: We set up several test beds, initially at Laser Pacificwith Ron Burdett and Lou Levinson. We had a very enthusiasticreception using a Baselight color corrector and got valuable feed-back that we brought back into the IIF working groups. Then,with Justified, we had the advantage of having already donesuccessful test beds, so we knew how to rapidly deploy thesystem at Encore Hollywood. In addition to Pankaj Bajpai, JenniferTellefsen, Ada Anderson, Jay Bodnar and their excellent Encoreteam, we had tremendous support from Doug Walker atAutodesk for the Lustre, because that’s a key component, too —the actual implementation of the IIF architecture. Doug had beenpart of the initial committee from the very beginning; he’s a color

Filmmakers’ Forum

“You can shortenthe amount of time it takes to

do certain thingsbecause you're

starting off from abetter place.”

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scientist with a clear understanding of theIIF’s potential.

Feeney: If you’re a post house andyou have a Lustre or a Baselight, you’rebeing foolish if you don’t set up a test bedto try this internally. The Academy is avail-able to help. In 10 days or so, you shouldbe able to go from a standing start tobeing able to fully evaluate the system inyour own facility, in the viewing environ-ment you’re used to, on your screens andwith your projectors. We’re happy to helpwith that process. And the IIF is a wholesystem; we also need people to step upand try it with on-set preview or inconjunction with restoration tools.

Clark: The facilities need to beonboard with the solution because theheart of the architecture’s implementationis at the post facilities. If you’re alreadygoing to Encore, it’s a done deal. If you’regoing somewhere else…

Feeney: …we’ll help. And nomatter what camera you’re using, youshould be doing this.

Clark: Any camera can have an IDT.

[Ed. Note: An IDT is an Input Device Trans-form, which takes into account a particu-lar camera’s characteristics and then trans-lates the camera’s image into ACES, theIIF’s working color space.]

Feeney: IDTs already exist for theleading professional cameras, [including]the Sony models, the Red and the ArriAlexa. Most likely, the camera you’re

considering is in the process of being vali-dated in the IDT. But we won’t call any ofthis ‘done’ because it’s all being refinedand adjusted. It’s like when Kodak issues anew film stock: they tune it up a little forthe next few months based on cine-matographer feedback. The IDT is just likean emulsion. The next step of the IIF work-flow is the Reference Rendering Trans-form, which encodes the image with anunlimited color gamut and a dynamicrange exceeding that of any current oranticipated output device. The RRT isalready implemented in numerous high-end color correctors. If your facility uses aBaselight, a Lustre or, to a certain extent, aNucoda, you’re fine — those workflowshave all been tested within the commit-tee. The Baselight and Lustre workflowshave also been tested by people who areusing them in production. If you musthave your color-correction system up andrunning in a rush, we can set you upimmediately. Getting set up on the colorcorrectors is quick.

Clark: Remarkably quick.

“No matter whatcamera you're

using, you shouldbe doing this.”

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Feeney: However, calibrating filmrecorders is extremely complex. It requiresrunning everything through the lab andturnarounds and measurements, so it’snot a quick process. We tell most peoplesetting up their first IIF project to do alltheir color correction internally, butsubcontract the film recording to a placethat’s already set up to do that, like EFilm.We’ll still help them get their in-house filmrecording calibrated, and most likelythey’ll have that ready by the time they dotheir second project. But it might take asmuch as eight weeks.

Clark: Companies need to get theircreative people onboard. If the project is aTV show, the primary person is the cine-matographer, working in conjunction withthe producer; if it’s a feature, the creativepolitics will determine whether the direc-tor is also involved with the cinematogra-pher, as well as the producer.

Feeney: The director, producer andcinematographer should get together andsay, ‘We want to try this.’

Clark: Cinematographers need to

say, ‘This is an essential part of our abilityto control the look. We need this.’ Don’ttake no for an answer, especially now thatthere’s concrete evidence of the work-flow’s success.

Feeney: In May, the ASC is plan-ning a summit of all the international soci-eties of cinematographers. One of themajor motivations for that gathering is a

shared feeling that the cinematographer’srole is eroding. The issues are so importantthat the Society is convening this unprece-dented summit, and the IIF system isaimed right at the heart of those issues.The IIF is a positive, constructive way tohelp reinforce the role of the cinematog-rapher. The ASC is not taking this lightly,and no one else should, either. Thebottom line is, the IIF works, and if youcontact either the ASC or the Academy for help, you will be pointed in the rightdirection. ●

“This is an essential part of

our ability tocontrol the look.”

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HydroFlex Borg Assimilates Element Technica Neutron RigElement Technica has announced that its

Technica 3D Neutron rig, mounted with SiliconImaging SI-2K cameras, can now be enclosed inthe purpose-built Neutron Borg 3-D underwaterhousing system from HydroFlex. The underwater3-D camera system incorporates a Cinedeckrecorder inside the housing.

The Neutron 3-D rig’s small form factor isparticularly attractive for underwater use, since itmakes a compact underwater housing possible.

The combination of the Neutron rig and SI-2K cameras allowedHydroFlex to design an anodized aluminum, cuboid-shaped housingthat measures 15" wide, 17" long and 16" tall. The Neutron Borghousing weighs 114 pounds out of the water and 3 pounds under-water.

Pete Romano, ASC, recently used the first production model.“It is easy to move in the water and follow the action,” he says. “Itis balanced well for handheld use and I couldn’t be happier.”

The Neutron Borg system utilizes Element Technica’s inte-grated lens control. By fitting the SI-2K cameras with Zeiss 16mmcine lenses, the system can take advantage of those lenses’ f1.3 aper-tures and close-focusing capabilities. The system also accepts Schnei-der 4.8mm, 8mm and 12mm lenses, and Linos 12mm, 16mm and15mm C-mount lenses.

“Because of its size, camera quality and lens compatibility, theNeutron 3-D rig and SI-2K camera combination made an excellentchoice for a small housing,” says Matt Brown, HydroFlex’s operationsmanager. The Neutron Borg system can be configured as a free-swimming, untethered housing, with operator viewing on theCinedeck and full lens and stereographic control underwater. Alter-natively, video and full remote control of the rig’s focus, iris andstereoscopic properties can be cabled to the surface and operatedfrom there.

The HydroFlex Neutron Borg housing is designed to remainwatertight to a depth of 60' and incorporates watertight connec-tions for lens focus and iris, interaxial and convergence. When utiliz-ing the Cinedeck for internal recording, SD video can be run to thesurface with an underwater coaxial cable. Alternatively, the Cinedeckcan be bypassed to run full HD from both cameras to the surface viaunderwater Ethernet cables.

The Neutron Borg system is available for rental fromHydroFlex. For more information, visit www.hydroflex.com andwww.technica3d.com.

Fujifilm Expands Eterna Vivid LineFujifilm Corporation has announced the introduction of

Eterna Vivid 250D, a daylight-type motion-picture color-negativefilm formulated to offer high color saturation and high contrast.Incorporating Fujifilm’s proprietary Super Nano-Structured GrainTechnology, Super-EfficientCoupler Technology andSuper-Efficient DIR-CouplerTechnology, the Eternafamily of motion-picturecolor-negative films offersexceptionally high-qualityimages.

Eterna Vivid 250Dshares the same gradation and color saturation characteristics as thetungsten-type Eterna Vivid 500 and Eterna Vivid 160. Not just anexcellent film for shooting in exterior locations, Eterna Vivid 250Dcan also be used under mixed-lighting conditions.

All films in the Eterna family are characterized by their abilityto reproduce natural skin tones and grays in under- to overexposedconditions. Additionally, Eterna Vivid 250D provides rich and distinc-tive colors as well as deep blacks with the optimized gradationbalance, enabling a wide range of expressive dramatic effects.

Optimization of orange-mask density and sharpness balancecontributes to enhanced image quality for film scanning or directtelecine transfer of images from negative film to videotape, makingthis newest addition to the Eterna lineup well suited for commercialsand other motion-picture production utilizing the latest advanceddigital technologies.

For additional information, visit www.fujifilm.com.

Pixel Farm Shares Free AirgradeThe Pixel Farm, a manufacturer and

marketer of image-processing and visual-effects software technologies, has intro-duced Airgrade, a free color-gradingengine that is remote-controlled from aniPhone.

Airgrade emulates professional filmand television grading tools and combinesa powerful Mac-based grading enginewith an easy-to-use wireless remote

control on the iPhone. Users roll a 3-D trackball and rotate a radialwheel on their iPhone to adjust precise tonal ranges using Lift,Gamma and Gain controls, as well as a Saturation control for over-all color intensity. The result appears interactively on the user’s Mac,and on any other connected monitoring device, such as a digital

New Products & Services• SUBMISSION INFORMATION •

Please e-mail New Products/Services releases to:[email protected] and include full contactinformation and product images. Photos must be

TIFF or JPEG files of at least 300dpi.

projector. A shake of the iPhone resets theparameters, allowing a fresh grade to bemade.

When the desired color grade hasbeen achieved, Airgrade’s color enginesaves the grading data in the ASC CDLformat, which allows color decisions to betransferred between color-grading andfinishing solutions. The graded image issaved simultaneously to the iPhone’s photoalbum, delivering a fast visual reference.

Users can download the free, Mac-based color engine at www.airgrade.co.uk;the iPhone remote controller is availablethrough the iTunes store. For more informa-tion, visit www.thepixelfarm.co.uk.

Quantel Offers Software-Only Pablo PAQuantel has released Pablo PA, the

company’s first standalone software prod-uct. Pablo PA is designed to help Quantelcustomers get the maximum value out oftheir high-end eQ, iQ or Pablo suites byhandling conforms, preparation and work-flow, allowing the main suite to concentratepurely on client-focused work. As a stand-alone system, Pablo PA also offers facilitiesthat don’t currently own Quantel systems alow-cost way to benefit from Quantel’shigh-quality post tools.

Pable PA has all the Pablo V5 color,multi-layer timeline, import, export, archive,conform and Stereo3D tools. It alsosupports Red and DPX soft mount of third-party storage for instant access to media,and will handle conform verification, Redshot selection and live de-bayering as wellas file i/o. When work is complete, only therecipe of what’s been done on Pablo PAneeds to be transferred to the eQ, iQ orPablo, saving valuable time that wouldotherwise be spent moving media.

The release of Pablo PA follows a

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successful Beta testing phase with a numberof Quantel customers. Pablo PA is beingoffered on a 30-day “try before you buy”scheme.

For additional information, visitwww.quantel.com.

Panavision Introduces Digital Transfer StationPanavision has introduced the Digital

Transfer Station, providing a unique solutionto enable greater flexibility in the productionprocess. The DTS complements Panavision’sSolid State Recorder,increasing the SSR’scapability while provid-ing consistency through-out the productionworkflow. The DTS takesuncompressed contentfrom the SSR andoutputs DPX or Quick-Time files while offeringa production the optionto simultaneously generate a backup tape.

This solution provides value to vari-ous departments in the production process.For the cinematographer, it is an invaluableaddition that allows the application of look-up tables so that material can be generatedfor editorial needs as well as dailies. Cine-matographer David Tattersall employed thesystem on Gulliver’s Travels and The HungryRabbit Jumps. “It was an invisible part ofour camera equipment,” he says. “I wasalmost unaware it was there.”

The DTS provides for near-set qualitycontrol of the master image, enabling near-instant feedback on set before the files aresent to postproduction. The system alsohelps to accelerate the delivery of off-linefiles for the editorial process. “Panavision’sDigital Transfer Station eliminates the trans-fer-from-tape portion of the deliverablesdistribution, and eliminates the compressionassociated with tape,” says digital-imagingtechnician Doug DeGrassio. “I liked thecompact size and reliability. It’s simply veryclean and it makes our work very clean.”

The DTS solution can also enhancethe entire production workflow, includingvisual effects and postproduction. For visualeffects, this means every frame is availableas a DPX file directly from set. “Having allthe DPX files in the cutting room is excel-

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lent,” says editor Alan Bell, ACE. “It allowsfor very fast turnarounds delivering [visual-effects] elements and gives us options whenit comes to doing the final conform.”

Josh Limor, Panavision’s technicalmarketing manager, says, “We wanted todesign a system that is easy to use, invisibleon set, and can satisfy every aspect of theproduction team’s needs. In addition, everyproduction will have Panavision’s support indesigning and implementing a workflowthat works for them.” Other productionsthat have already utilized the DTS includeCaptain America, Vamps, The Smurfs andIronclad.

For additional information, visitwww.panavision.com.

Panasonic Adds Pro MonitorPanasonic Solutions Company has

introduced the BT-LH910, a 9" LCD monitorfor field and studio applications. Featuresinclude a new, high-brightness, high-contrast IPS panel; newly developed 3-Dassist functions; and professional interfaces,including HDMI and 3G-SDI. Equally suitablefor production, broadcast and institutionalapplications, the cost-effective BT-LH910 canbe utilized on-camera as an electronicviewfinder, on location, and in mobile or livesettings.

The BT-LH910 offers production-levelcritical viewing with 1280x768 WXGA pixelresolution, the highest in the 9"-and-underprofessional LCD monitor category. Themonitor’s high brightness, high contrast,horizontally aligned IPS panel has 176-degree vertical and horizontal viewingangles. It delivers exceptional imagery withsuperb color accuracy and exhibits minimalchanges in brightness and color due to theviewing angle.

The BT-LH910 incorporates a 2X SDIIN overlay and side-by-side display thatprovides a 2-D view of various 3-D checks,

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including composition, convergence, colorand luminance, focus and zoom position,and parallax. This 3-D assist function is idealfor production crews that require a 3-Dreview in the field. The monitor also offerstwo times SDI loop-through to allow it to beused with existing 3-D rigs while still feedingvideo to any downstream equipment. Addi-tional functionality encompasses a Blackmode for confirming dark scenes, an RGBwaveform monitor, a vectorscope, an RGBdirect white-balance adjustment, a color

audio level meter, new front/rear design,SDI closed-captioning support, a head-phone jack and tilt stand.

The 15:9 aspect-ratio monitor iscompatible with multiple HD/SD formatsand features the industry’s lowest image-processing delay, a Diagonal Line compen-sation function and such advanced focus-assist functions as Focus-in-Red and Pixel-to-Pixel matching. Measuring only 3.1"deep and weighing only 3.7 pounds(excluding the tilt stand), the space-savingBT-LH910 also boasts an eco-friendly W-LEDbacklight.

When used as an electronicviewfinder, the BT-LH910 can be configuredwith Panasonic’s full range of HD shoulder-mount cameras, using the optional BT-CS910 viewfinder cable. The 12-volt DC-powered monitor is equipped with both a4-pin XLR DC input and an Anton Bauerbattery gold mount, making it ideal foroutdoor use.

The BT-LH910 has a suggested priceof $3,500. For more information, visitwww.panasonic.com/broadcast.

Abel Cine Tech Authorized by ZeissLens manufacturer Carl Zeiss has

appointed equipment supplier Abel CineTech as a Carl Zeiss Authorized Service Part-ner. Building on years of cooperationbetween the two companies, the aim of thepartnership is to allow Carl Zeiss customersin the Americas to benefit from optimizedcustomer service. In particular, the partner-ship will further reduce the amount ofdowntime associated with repairs. In thefuture, local services will be carried outmore efficiently and according to the high-est quality standards.

“The appointment of a Carl ZeissAuthorized Service Partner creates animportant foundation for intensifying ourcooperation with Abel Cine Tech,” says

Josef Kohnle, director of operations of theCarl Zeiss Camera Lens Division inOberkochen, Germany. “Our clients inAmerica can now send their lenses directlyto Abel Cine Tech for maintenance andrepairs. The professional and localizedcustomer service will guarantee quick andsmooth service and increase effectiveness.”

Pete Abel, president and CEO ofAbel Cine Tech, adds, “We’re delightedwith the special trust Carl Zeiss has placed inus through this official partnership. We willuse our experience and technical know-howto build awareness among Carl Zeisscustomers in America for its products and toprovide the outstanding performance andquality for which Carl Zeiss lenses arerenowned the world over.”

Abel Cine Tech operates facilities inNew York City, Burbank and Chicago. Qual-ification as a Carl Zeiss Authorized ServicePartner involves training by Carl Zeiss part-ners as well as the provision of special toolsthat ensure the company can guarantee auniform level of service for all its customers.

For additional information, visitwww.abelcine.com and www.zeiss.com.

Vocas Adapts Lens MountVocas has introduced a lens-mount

adapter from Micro 4⁄3" to PL mount,designed with the Panasonic AG-AF100specifically in mind. The adapter, whichenables the use of PL-mount lenses on digi-tal cameras fitted with a Micro 4⁄3" sensor,comes with a 15mm support bracket forusing the mount on a 15mm rails system.Vocas also offers a 15mm rails system,which is suitable for adding more acces-sories.

For additional information, visitwww.vocas.com.

Denz Accessorizes Panasonic CameraDenz has introduced an accessory

package for Panasonic’s AG-AF100 Micro4⁄3" digital camera. The package includes aUniversal Holder, PL54-Support, Ultra Light-weight Handle System and FFM FollowFocus.

The Universal Holder attaches ontothe camera’s handle and can be fixed viatwo clamping screws, which allow fordifferent positions depending on the needsof the operator. The Universal Holder canalso be used in conjunction with theCineroid electronic viewfinder.

The PL54-Support allows users tomount any PL-mount lens to the camera, nomatter the lens’ weight. The support systemcontains a mount for 15mm support rods aswell as Arri/Denz-standard rosettes foradjusting handles and accessories.

An optional shoulder rig can also bemounted to the 15mm rods, and the UltraLightweight Handle System incorporatestwo handles, one of which can be equippedwith shutter control.

Finally, Denz’s FFM Follow Focusperfectly fits the system and mounts to the15mm rods sideways beneath the lens.

For additional information, visitwww.denz-deniz.com.

Redrock Micro Works with Really Right StuffRedrock Micro has introduced the

MicroRRS clamp for adapting the Really RightStuff line of quick-release clamps and platesfor use with Redrock’s HDSLR camera rigs.

Redrock customers now have a choiceof camera mounts for their Redrock rigs: theRedrock DSLR baseplate or the MicroRRSadapter clamp with Really Right Stuff. TheMicroRRS with Really Right Stuff clamps arean excellent choice for still photographerswho want to continue using their Really RightStuff quick-release system, or for cinematog-raphers who demand the ultimate stability ina camera-mounting system. The MicroRRSallows HDSLRs to be used either vertically orhorizontally, and it can be used with eithercamera or lens support plates.

“Really Right Stuff is extremely wellregarded and hugely popular in the photog-raphy world today,” says James Hurd, chiefrevolutionary for Redrock Micro. “Our newMicroRRS clamp really benefits customers bybringing together the best of both worlds forvideo DSLR rigs and accessories.”

The MicroRRS clamp is priced at $229.For more information, visit www.redrockmicro.com and www.reallyrightstuff.com.

JBK Cinequipt Focuses on DSLRsJBK Cinequipt has introduced the FF-

2010 HD, a lightweight follow focusdesigned for use with Canon’s EOS 5D and7D DSLR camera systems. The FF-2010attaches directly to one 15mm support rodand locks into place with a quick-lock clam-per. Constructed of Black Delrin, the FF-2010boasts a sealed gear box, weighs only 5ounces and has an outside diameter of 3".

The FF-2010’s interchangeable drive

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gear is held in place with an Allen screw,making it easy to swap out for differentdrive-gear sizes. The unit also features amarking disk, and the knob accepts stan-dard accessories, such as a speed crank orwhip.

For additional information, visitwww.jbkcinequipt.com.

FG Follow Focus from IkanIkan has introduced

the FG Follow Focus,offering precision

machined aluminum construc-tion, lightweight design, beveled dry-

erase marking disk and compatibility with allIkan Elements kits and any 15mm rod-based camera-support system. Driven by a2"-diameter control wheel, the FG FollowFocus features low backlash and is compat-ible with standard film-pitch gearing of .8MOD supported by a 2.3"-diameter focusgear. The horizontal adjustment featureaccommodates a wide range of DSLR lensdiameters. The FG Follow Focus also

features a focus mark indicator and lockablefocus control.

The included 17" FG Follow FocusWhip features vinyl covering and a crankstability grip for smooth control. UtilizingIkan’s compact square connector, the FGWhip provides leverage over distance andsmoother focus pulls all around. The 2.3"FG Follow Focus Crank Knob provides rapidfocus, allowing users to move from onefocus mark to another at high speed. Fittedwith Ikan’s square connector, the FG CrankKnob offers fast and accurate control. Alsoincluded is a pair of 2.5" to 4.25"-diameteradjustable zip lens gears.

For additional information, visitwww.ikancorp.com.

Zacuto Updates Z-Finder ProCamera-accessories manufacturer

Zacuto has released the updated Z-FinderPro DSLR viewfinder. The optical viewfinderoffers 2.5x or 3x focusable magnification, a40mm-diameter Zacuto optical designedlens, an anti-fog coating protective shield,an eyecup preventing extraneous light leak-

age, a diopter and a field of view perfectlymatched to 3" LCD screens. Also included arethree extender frames, a gorilla plate withDSLR short body frame, a lens cap, a protec-tive boot, a lanyard hook and lanyard, andthree extra anti-fog coating protective covers.

The anti-fog protective covers servetwo purposes: to protect the actual lens fromdamage and to prevent fogging. “We’vespent over a year and a half to come up withthe Zacuto anti-fog formula,” says SteveWeiss, product designer for Zacuto. “The keyto creating an anti-fog lens is to create atexture on the surface so that moisture cannotcollect.” Weiss and fellow product designerJens Bogehegn developed inexpensive anti-fog shields for customers to use as expend-ables in case of loss, scratch or damage to thecovers. Bogehegn notes, “We found that thetexture of the protective cover can rub off.Whether you have an older Z-Finder or ProSeries, anti-fog lens or non-anti-fog lens,

96

these shields will protect your existing lens andmake any Z-Finder anti-fog.”

For existing Z-Finder owners, the Anti-Fog Protective Cover Upgrade Kit comes witha three-pack of anti-fog protective covers, alens cap and newly designed eyecup to fit allcovers. For more information, visitwww.zacuto.com.

Acme Illuminates Komet Pipe LightAcme Lighting & Grip has intro-

duced the Komet Pipe Light. Light-weight and self contained, the6,500°K LED fixture is simple to useand sets up in seconds.

The all-weather Komet Pipe Lightfeatures a nylon body and T6aluminum head. The fixture weighs 17pounds and folds into a cylinder thatmeasures 32" long and 4.5" in diam-eter, allowing for easy transport.

The Komet Pipe Light features low,medium and high operating modes;according to Acme’s photometrics, thePipe Light produces a maximum of

500 foot candles at a distance 6'. The fixtureruns off of a battery, which recharges inapproximately 8 hours and offers 2.5 to 9hours of operation, depending on the oper-ating mode. The power supply and chargerare included. Other accessories include afour-way barndoor, a wide lens, four gelframes and a car power adapter.

For additional information, visitwww.kometled.com.

MSE Supports Fluorescents with K-StackersMatthews Studio Equipment has

introduced K-Stackers, a simple solution forfluorescent-lighting support.

Based on a concept from gaffer AlexAmyot, K-Stackers allow for the placementof large fluorescent fixtures in a tightpattern for more punch, or for an overheadsource with fluorescent fixtures hung from aJunior Boom or telescoping hanger. Two orthree large fluorescent fixtures can be tiedtogether on a rolling stand or Runway Base;up to six 4' fixtures can be mounted, withthe ballasts hanging off the back of the K-

Stacker. Two K-Stackers on astand or base allows for place-ment of four 4' fluorescentfixtures vertically around thestand. Rotate the pin 90degrees and K-Stackers can beconformed from a horizontalto a vertical light-fixture mode.This compact, powerful lightsource can be moved almostanywhere.

“Crews spend a greatdeal of time building contrap-tions out of C-stands to achieve the sameeffect that the K-Stacker gives them inmoments,” says Kelly Koskella, president ofHollywood Rentals, one of the first compa-nies to take delivery of the K-Stackers.“Those time-saving quality products arewhat production professionals demand.Hollywood Rentals is always on the lookoutfor tools that improve production for ourclients, and K-Stackers certainly do that.”

For additional information, visitwww.msegrip.com. ●

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Camera Essentials 99Cavision Enterprises 69Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment Inc. 19Chemical Wedding 87Chimera 9Cine Gear Expo 101Cinematography Electronics 93Cinekinetic 98Clairmont Film & Digital 57Codex Digital Ltd., 13Convergent Design 67Cooke Optics 25CTT Exp. & Rentals 96

Dell Inc. 21Deluxe C2Denecke 98Digital Vision 81Duclos 74

Eastman Kodak 59, C4EFD USA, Inc 23

Film Gear 73Filmtools 91Flying-Cam Inc. 80Fujifilm 16a-d

Gekko 51, 92Glidecam Industries 47Grip Factory Munich/GFM 6

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JEM Studio Lighting 74J.L. Fisher 40

K5600 65Kino Flo 89Kobold 77

Lee Filters 76Lights! Action! Co. 99Lite Gear 91

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M. M. Mukhi and Sons 99Movcam Tech, Co., Ltd. 55Movie Tech AG 99

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Oppenheimer Camera Prod. 93, 98

PC&E 85P+S Technik 83Panasonic Broadcast TV Division 15Panther Gmbh 61Ped Denz 75, 98Photon Beard 98Pille Film Gmbh 99Pro8mm 98Production Resource Group 49Professional Sound Services 6

Rag Place, The 95Rosco Laboratories Inc. 60

Scheimpflug Digital 24Schneider Optics 2Shelton Communications 98Samy’s DV & Edit 41Service Vision 88Solid Grip 71Sony Electronics 7Stanton Video Services 75Super16 Inc. 99Surreal Road Limited 6

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Cine Gear ExpoJune 2-5, 2011

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Rom Named AssociateDomenic Rom, head of producer’s

services for Technicolor New York, hasjoined the ASC as an associate member.After earning a bachelor’s degree fromSouth Ridge State University in SouthRidge, S.C., Rom worked as a sales repre-sentative for Lit Ware, Inc., and DuffyVineyards before joining DuArt Film &Video in New York. In his 16 years atDuArt, he climbed the ranks from nightcolorist to executive vice president. Hewent on to serve as the COO of lab oper-ations at Moving Images/Postworks. Hejoined Technicolor last year.

Spirit, BAFTA, Academy AwardsHonor Cinematographers

The 2010 awards season sawMatthew Libatique, ASC win a FilmIndependent Spirit Award for Black Swan(AC Dec. ’10); Roger Deakins, ASC, BSCwin a BAFTA for True Grit (AC Jan. ’11);and Wally Pfister, ASC win an Oscar forInception (AC July ’10).

The other Spirit Award nomineeswere Adam Kimmel, ASC, for Never LetMe Go; Jody Lee Lipes, for Tiny Furniture(AC Jan. ’11); Michael McDonough, forWinter’s Bone (AC June ’10); and HarrisSavides, ASC, for Greenberg.

Joining Deakins in the BAFTAcompetition were Libatique; Pfister;Danny Cohen, BSC, for The King’s Speech(AC Dec. ’10), and Anthony Dod Mantle,BSC, DFF and Enrique Chediak, for 127Hours (AC Dec. ’10).

The other Oscar nominees wereCohen, Deakins, Libatique and JeffCronenweth, ASC, for The SocialNetwork (AC Oct. ’10).

SOC Hosts Awards GalaThe Society of Camera Operators

recently honored Pete Romano, ASCwith its Lifetime Achievement Award;Jost Vacano, ASC with its HistoricalAward (for Das Boot); and ASC associate

Frank Kay with its Distinguished ServiceAward Cammy.

Lifetime-achievement awards werealso presented to camera operatorMichael Ferris, 1st AC/camera technicianAlan Disler and stills photographer DavidJames, SMPSP. Steadicam operator ColinAnderson won the Feature Film Operatorof the Year award for The Town, andDavid Frederick, SOC won the TelevisionCamera Operator of the Year award forSons of Anarchy.

The SOC Presidents Award went tothe Grip Union, Local 80, and TechnicalAchievement Awards were given for theArri Alexa and for the Ultimate Arm Gyro-Stabilized Camera Crane.

Zsigmond Visits Park CityVilmos Zsigmond, ASC paid a

visit to Park City, Utah, to participate inevents sponsored by Kodak at theSundance and Slamdance film festivals.The cinematographer participated in aQ&A with producer Jack Robinette follow-ing a screening of their film Summer Chil-dren (1965), which was believed lost until35mm black-and-white elements werediscovered in Canada, France, New Yorkand Los Angeles. The next day, Kodakhosted “Coffee with Vilmos,” duringwhich Zsigmond discussed his creativeprocess.

Cundey Talks Jurassic ParkDean Cundey, ASC recently

visited The Art Institute of California-Orange County to discuss his work onJurassic Park (AC June ’93) with studentfilmmakers. Instructor Scott Essman inter-viewed Cundey as the film played, andafter the screening, the cinematographeranswered students’ questions. ●

Clubhouse News

Top to bottom: New associate member DomenicRom; Oscar winner Wally Pfister, ASC, with

presenter Tom Hanks; Dean Cundey, ASC (wearingblue-striped shirt) with students at The Art Instituteof California – Orange County; (left to right) ScottSakamoto; Steve Campanelli, SOC; David Frederick,

SOC; Colin Anderson, SOC; Geoff Haley; and Peter Rosenfeld, SOC.


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When you were a child, what film made the strongest impres-sion on you?When I saw The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), I was knocked out. I sawit eight times in the first week, which wasn’t easy for an 11-year-oldwho couldn’t drive to the movie theater. Korda’s The Thief of Bagdad(1940) was another huge influence.

Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most admire?John “Hard Way” Fulton, ASC was always looking for the better effectsshot, no matter what it took to make it. His ideas were progressive, andthe shots were surprising in a good way. Of the live-action cinematog-raphers, [I admire] ASC members Charles Langand Gregg Toland and all the usual suspects,some of whom I’ve been lucky to work with. Ilove the classically perfect shot.

What sparked your interest in photography?To have a visual reminder of an effects shot I’dseen in a movie, I’d use a toy spaceship or plasticdinosaur and try copying the shot, which gaveme a print that I could study and hold.

Where did you train and/or study?I was self-taught. There was no real interest ineffects until Star Wars came along — no classes,nothing. So I had to guess how things were doneand shoot my own stills and 8mm and 16mmeffects movies. Occasionally, American Cine-matographer would have an effects article withpictures!

Who were your early teachers or mentors? In the ’60s, there were only a dozen of us effects fans in Los Angeles.One was Jim Danforth, who graciously took time to teach me aboutart and film and quality. Phil Kellison gave me my first job using 35mmgear, shooting effects commercials at Cascade Pictures. Phil was anamazing cameraman who knew how to light a dime to look like adollar. I also found people in the phone book. Bill Abbott, ASC kindlylet me watch some model shoots at the Sersen Tank in Malibu.

What are some of your key artistic influences? When I was a kid, The Beatles, Ray Harryhausen, John Singer Sargent,Arthur Penn and the real world. Today, it’s the real world, GeorgeLucas, Steven Spielberg, Jim Cameron, Phil Tippett, Steve Jobs and theInternet.

How did you get your first break in the business? [Future ASC members] John Dykstra and Richard Edlund hired me atthe start of Star Wars. John felt my camera/stop-motion backgroundmight be valuable in shooting with his new computer-controlledcameras. I didn’t know anyone working there, but rumor had it that

they were trying something new, and I was eager to learn. I even cutmy salary to get hired.

What has been your most satisfying moment on a project? Whenever an impossible shot is finished and it works. I’ve always beendriven by seeing the final image, not by the process.

Have you made any memorable blunders? Long ago, I was the only cameraman using three old high-speedMitchells to shoot a big exploding miniature. When the dailies cameback, one camera was underexposed by five stops. The next time, I

triple-checked everything, and guess what? Samething. I traced the problem back to one lens. TheMitchells vibrated a lot at 128 fps, and thatcaused the iris to close down all by itself.

What is the best professional advice you’veever received? Jim Danforth taught me the value of critical think-ing, especially about your own work, and how tosee your work as the audience will see it. Andduring The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucasshowed me a helicopter shot and asked if I couldadd a creature running on the ground, which atthe time seemed impossible because of the six-axis camera motion. He said, ‘Give it somethought,’ and within 15 minutes I had a solution.That taught me that a right answer might be onethought away.

What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you? The Social Network, the Phantom camera at 1,000 fps, the aerial-plat-form sequence in Star Trek (2009), the zero-gravity hallway in Incep-tion, the 3-D stereo design of Fly Me to the Moon (2008), a Blu-ray ofGone With the Wind on my Sony LCD at a simulated 120 fps, andeverything by Malcolm Gladwell.

Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like totry? Not really.

Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for member-ship?Richard Yuricich, Allen Daviau and Joseph Westheimer.

How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?Everyone in this business holds the ASC in high regard, which hasgiven me some clout on a set when I’ve most needed it. But really,what I most appreciate is being part of a distinguished group of greatcinematographers with a long tradition of excellence and mutualsupport. ●

Dennis Muren, ASCClose-up

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D AV I D B O Y D , A S CONFILM

To order Kodak motion picture fi lm, call (800) 621-fi lm. © Eastman Kodak Company, 2011. Photography: © 2011 Douglas Kirkland

“I think a lot about how best to interpret a screenplay visually. Pushing and shoving through this creative process, alongside the director, a fi lm starts to become its own thing. I view myself as its protector in its infancy, and when it really gets rolling I get out of its way. Risk-taking is central to good work. I’m visually succeeding if I’m somewhat uncomfortable throughout production—it keeps me sharp. I’ll use any tool I can get my hands on to photograph a story well, and deny myself all the others. And I believe the utmost emotion and connection a cinematographer can create with an audience comes with shooting on fi lm. It represents the fi rst and most important leap into a story’s visual interpretation. It is the means by which an image crawls up out of the mud and becomes symbolic. It is the very instrument that engages an audience. Shooting, printing and projecting on fi lm tells the story best.”

David Boyd, ASC’s credits include the television series The Walking Dead, Men of a Certain Age, Friday Night Lights, Without a Trace, and Deadwood, for which he received an ASC Outstanding Achievement Award nomination. His feature credits include 12 Rounds, Full Count, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, Get Low, and the forthcoming Joyful Noise.

All these productions were photographed on Kodak motion picture fi lm.

For an extended interview with David Boyd, visit www.kodak.com/go/onfi lm

AC apr 2011

Documents

Transcript of AC apr 2011